Next-Gen Dunkers: When Lou Williams and crew picked their favorites

It’s no hidden fact that one of the All-Star Weekend traditions, The Dunk Contest, has been losing its charm in recent years. Some big names are not keen to participate in this visual spectacle of athleticism. On the other hand, the creativity seems to be dying down.

There has been a growing notion of revamping the Dunk Contest. However, veterans like Lou Williams believe the current crop of dunkers has a lot of versatility that needs to be explored. Nonetheless, some incentive needs to be devised to lure them.

Addressing the subject in an old episode of the Underground Lounge podcast, Williams and his panel, which also had actor and comedian Spank Horton, dished out the list of players they wish to see participate at the annual event of the All-Star Weekend.

The Underground Lounge crew draft their wishlist of young dunkers

LeBron James aside, Williams and his panel would reveal names of the younger crop they would like to see throw down vicious dunks and redefine athleticism.

The names to make the list were Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), Zion Williamson (Pelicans), Ja Morant (Grizzlies), Anthony Edwards (T-Wolves), and Jalen Johnson (Hawks).

Who in the new generation do you want to see in the dunk contest next year?!

Williams misses the imagination players brought back in the day. One such example was his former Clippers teammate Blake Griffin, who stunned the crowd in 2011, leaping over a Kia Optima and winning the Contest in his rookie year.

The last time a dunk contest rewrote history was in 2016 between Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon. Commissioner Silver and the Players Association could evaluate ways to restore the electrifying atmosphere.

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