Stephen A. Smith blames LeBron James from ruining the NBA All-Star

The NBA All-Star 2024 has come and gone and the game has disappointed the fans of the sport, again, and while many believe the NBA needs to do something to catch the interest of the fans again and make the event appealing for both stars and audience, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith has a clear player to blame, especially about the Slam Dunk Contest.

Earlier today in ESPN's "First Take," Stephen A. Smith went hard on LeBron James as the Lakers superstar is known to have refused to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest while other historical figures and some of the greatest stars like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were part of it.

"LeBron James is directly responsible for ruining the Slam Dunk Contest," said Smith. Stephen believes that the superstar refusing to participate was the beginning of the demise of the contest plus the All-Star event as a whole.

Fans tend to differ and believe that LeBron never competing in a Dunk Contest isn't as big of a deal as the NBA media have been trying to sell. Many believe LeBron has never been a flashy dunker so participation isn't needed.

LeBron James could miss the Lakers next game vs. the GSW

After the All-Star Game, LeBron James said a treatment for his ankle may keep him out of Lakers vs. Warriors on Thursday: “It possibly could. It depends on the recovery process. So, possibly. But we will see. I’m feeling okay. I definitely wasn’t going to put too much pressure on the game tonight... I want to try to be as healthy as I can be physically. This last part of the season is very important for us. I got to make sure of that.”