Howard Won’t Wear Lipstick; Bron Wants $1 Million

By Stan McNeal
Sean Deveney and Stan McNeal are on the ground in New Orleans, covering the All-Star festivities. Check back all weekend for updates.
Friday is “media availability†day for the All-Stars. In New Orleans, that means all of the All-Stars are required to sit at a table inside a big hotel hall and answer questions for 45 minutes. It’s the NBA version of Super Bowl media day, with some of the same “how does it feel to be an All-Star†type questions.
Dwight Howard’s gathering is not so big but he gives one of the best answers I hear.
Asked if any fan had sent him a crazy idea for a dunk to try in Saturday’s dunk contest, Howard says that someone told him to put on lipstick, kiss the backboard and then dunk. “I don’t do lipstick,†he says.
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LeBron is asked how important is it to play well in the All-Star game. “Not important at all,†he says.
I ask him if he would be in favor of changing the format to have the international players take on the U.S. players. “That’d be fun.â€
I then ask him if the league invited him to participate in the dunk contest and before I finish, he is answering, “No. That wouldn’t be fun.â€
“But what if they put a million dollar prize for the winner?â€
“That’d be fun. I might rest my legs for a couple of weeks to do that.â€â†µ