The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has a special way of creating memories in the hearts of NBA fans. For example, Vince Carter is a future Hall-of-Famer, but he wouldn’t be nearly as memorable without his jaw-dropping performance in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest.
In the last decade, though, the Slam Dunk Contest has seen some low moments. In 2014, the NBA experimented with the formatting by splitting the dunkers into two teams for a “freestyle” round where each team had 1:30 to do as many dunks as they wanted. While this seemed like a decent idea at the time, the freestyle round lacked the shock and awe that fans desperately want from the Slam Dunk Contest.