After watching that 360 dunk Paul George pulled off against the Clippers this past week, you would’ve thought that George was a shoe-in for the NBA dunk contest this year. Well, don’t hold your breath. The Pacers all-star has turned down an offer from the NBA to participate in the contest.
According to the Indy Star, the Pacers forward has declined an opportunity to participated in this year’s Dunk Contest:
On Saturday night, George said that he declined an invitation by the league to compete in this year’s Slam Dunk Contest in New Orleans.
Although George —who made his first All-Star appearance as a player last year — has not completely closed the door on the possibility, he confirmed that he likely will not participate in other All-Star weekend events such as the Skills Contest and will not make a return appearance to the 3-point Shootout.
Now certified as an in-demand NBA celebrity, George ranks second in the Eastern Conference in All-Star votes and will undoubtedly start in the game held on Feb. 17. George explained that he would rather take a respite and try to limit his schedule as much as possible.
“Exactly, I don’t want to add to it by doing extra stuff,” George said, responding to a comment that rest rarely happens during hectic All-Star weekends.
Besides the break, George may still carry ill feelings about his previous Slam Dunk experience. After returning from the 2012 All-Star weekend, George told The Indianapolis Star: “(Not to) take nothing away from the dunk contest, (but) it was a joke. I guess whoever had the biggest celebrity involved in their dunk was going to be the winner. I guess I should have tried to reach out to some people.”
For those who missed it, here is his 360 dunk
Source: SLAM
