Despite the hopes of NBA fans in Toronto, it looks as though local icon Andrew Wiggins isn’t willing to consider being a part of the dunk contest.
Traditionally the highlight of the NBA’s All-Star Saturday, the dunk contest is almost always the most anticipated event on the All-Star calendar.
And while the days of Vince Carter’s historic star turn are firmly in the rearview, last year Zach LaVine, Wiggins’ teammate in Minnesota breathed new life into the exhibition with his jaw-dropping performance.
Wiggins told ESPN.com that he thinks LaVine is a lock to repeat champ: “Right now, you can give it to him [Zach LaVine]. I won’t be doing all the surprise dunks. I just keep it simple — one hand, two hands.”
While Wiggins’ athleticism would make him an instant contender, he went on to explain that he’s still wearing the scars from his last dunk contest appearance.
“My story is, I lost in high school, right when I was in the McDonald’s [All-American] Game, so I really don’t do … dunks anymore,” Wiggins said. “I kind of retired that back, left that in high school, so I don’t really do it anymore.”
In case you thought Wiggins still could be goaded into competing in front of his hometown crowd, this exchange from the ESPN story might put that to rest:
During the interview, Karl-Anthony Towns joked with Wiggins, “They want you in that [dunk] contest bad.”
Wiggins shook his head and said, “Me? Nah. I lost. I’m not doing it again. Maybe one day, but right now, I lost in high school and I thought I should’ve won, so I’m just …”
Here’s an idea of what we’ll all be missing (starting with the Contest That Ruined All Future Contests for the 20 year-old sophomore):