The NBA Dunk Contest Was (Maybe, A Little Bit) Totally Rigged!

Mar 7, 2011, 8:49 PM UTC

Hey, did someone say the NBA Dunk Contest was totally rigged and Javale McGee got robbed on national television?

Oh, maybe that was me.

Anyway, it’s been a few weeks now, but after digesting Kia’s awful ad campaign centered around the dunk contest, I clicked this link. And then this link. And finally, this link. And that’s how I found out about an NBA Press Release that went out before the Dunk Contest, touting an appearance by Slam Dunk winner Blake Griffin. Did someone say... conspiracy?

Oops. Again, that was just me.

But guys, maybe this typo wasn’t just a typo. The smoking gun comes via Lakers Nation:

And now it all makes sense, you see. Blake Griffin had won before the contest even started.

Add it to the list, people. The refs helped the Lakers beat the Kings in 2002, Tim Donaghy rigged that Spurs-Suns series, David Stern suspended Michael Jordan for gambling, the lottery was rigged to help the Knicks in 1985 and the Cavs in 2003, Craig Hodges was blackballed by NBA owners, the NBA conspired to keep Mark Cuban from winning a championship in 2006, and the 2011 Dunk Contest winner was always going to be Blake Griffin.

But let’s be honest. If you truly love the NBA, you know in your heart that at least half of these things are true, and you’ve already gotten past it. I have, anyway. The NBA rules the world. Like Kanye said, “If Magic Johnson got a cure for AIDS...”

So I’m not mad. I’m happy Magic’s still around, and I’m glad the NBA can capitalize on Blake Griffin as much as possible. But for transparency’s sake, can we stop pretending that dunk was cool?