Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade had an extremely decorated NBA career, but he never participated in the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest, and it sounds like he was never invited either.
The Hall of Famer recently spoke about that reality and called himself “one of the greatest dunkers in the game of basketball.”
“I’ma name one person that never got in the dunk contest that’s one of the greatest dunkers in the game of basketball: Flash, myself, f— you mean?” he said. “Most dunks by a guard in the history of the game and never in the dunk contest. … Never was asked to be in the dunk contest.”
Wade had more than 1,000 dunks during his NBA career despite being a guard. He was listed at 6-foot-4. Some of his dunks were highlight material.
This season’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest just took place in San Francisco, and Orlando Magic guard Mac McClung stole the show again.
McClung is a guard himself, and he’s listed at just 6-foot-2, but that hasn’t stopped him from winning each of the last three dunk contests. He had some stellar dunks in this season’s event.
While Wade was never able to participate in the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest during his career, he probably isn’t losing any sleep over it. He earned three NBA titles during his playing days to go along with 13 All-Star bids, eight All-NBA nods, one scoring title, one Finals MVP award and numerous other accolades.
Wade is seen by many as the greatest player in Heat history. He etched his place in franchise lore by helping Miami win its first NBA title in 2006, then he only added to his resume in the years that followed. His other two titles with the Heat came in 2012 and 2013.
The NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest is an iconic event, and the hope is that it will stay that way for years to come. McClung has been the event’s savior in recent years, and the league may need him to keep doing it or get some other electric dunkers to step up in the coming years in order to keep the excitement going.
For now, the NBA world can shift its focus to the remainder of the 2024-25 season with this year’s All-Star festivities in the rearview mirror.
