Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee dazzled fans last year in finishing second to Blake Griffin in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He dunked three balls, somehow jammed on two hoops and came very close to stealing Griffin's crown. You'd think the NBA would want to have McGee return to the competition in 2012. Instead, he confirmed the league didn't even ask him to participate.
Via the Wizards themselves:
JaVale McGee told WashingtonWizards.com that the league did not contact him about participating in the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 16, 2012
McGee told the team that he would have participated if he was asked. So why not pick McGee? Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports that the NBA wanted to invite four new participants and move the dunk contest in a different direction. The league ultimately invited Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks, Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, Derrick Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chase Budinger of the Houston Rockets.
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