Stephen A. Smith’s rant about the Slam Dunk Contest (“a national atrocity”) was art

Remember when the Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend was an event? Something that drew in casual fans by the bucket load and awed viewers?

That really isn’t the case anymore. The Dunk Contest has become a target for mockery and scorn by fans, and on Monday morning, a media member jumped into the fray.

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith shredded the Dunk Contest, calling it “the worst slam dunk contest in the history of basketball” and “a national atrocity” among other comments.

Here’s the full video. I’m typically not even close to the target audience for Smith’s commentary, but I feel like this segment is a work of act.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GgNiDcIowE&ab_channel=ESPN

Some other highlights from the segment, which seemed to completely break Molly Qerim Rose and Kendrick Perkins…

• “I’m happy that a Knick won something. We actually had a New York Knick that won something”
• “It was so bad that it was one of the rare moments that I think we should actually hide a trophy”
• “It was a national embarrassment”
• “I’m 54 years old. I struggle, Kendrick Perkins, with bad knees, and guess what? I could have missed that many dunks. You didn’t do anything I couldn’t do”
• “I literally left and walked outside in the cold and said ‘I’m done with this'”

Theatric? Yeah. Over the top? Sure. Entertaining? You better believe it.