Many NBA fans have fond memories of classic Eastern vs Western Conference midseason All-Star battles. Unfortunately the memories have become much more distant as NBA player at some point decided to just make the All-Star Game a no defense affair featuring uncontested dunks and logo 3-point attempts.
With the lone exception of Jaylen Brown last year, stars also decided to bypass the dunk contest, since they didn't want to deal with the embarrassment of losing. You can credit LeBron James with starting that trend.
The NBA has resorted to featuring a G-Leaguer in the Dunk Contest the past few years while stars like Zion Williamson and Anthony Edwards watch on.