A little bit of surprising news hit the Golden State Warriors fanbase on Tuesday, when the 2022 Slam Dunk Contest contestants were announced. Had someone told you that a Warrior would be in the contest, you likely would have pointed to Andrew Wiggins or Jonathan Kuminga, but instead it was Oakland’s own Juan Toscano-Anderson.
JTA is up against Houston Rockets rookie guard Jalen Green, Orlando Magic second-year point guard Cole Anthony, and New York Knicks sophomore wing Obi Toppin, last year’s runner-up.
I love Toscano-Anderson as much as anyone, but I think it’s safe to look at that field and conclude that the contest doesn’t attract stars quite like it did in, say, 2000, when Vince Carter bested Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, and Jerry Stackhouse, or in 1988, when Michael Jordan beat out Dominique Wilkins and Clyde Drexler.