It's an event that Lebron James has been avoiding since he enter the NBA 10 years ago, but on Friday, former Los-Angeles-Lakers' guard and ESPN pundit, Ervin "Magic" Johnson, channeling his inner Marlon Brando from the "Godfather,"made him an offer that he probably can't refuse to enter the 2014 "Dunk Contest"
Johnson, who has been successful on and off the court (he is part owner of the MLB baseball team, Los Angeles Dodgers) said, during ESPN's "NBA pre-game show," he would put up $1M of his own money, if James, next year, finally enters the marquee event of All-Star Saturday night--the "Dunk Contest."
"Please, LeBron, get in the dunk contest. I'm going to put up a million dollars, according to New York Daily News.
As it stands right now, the winning purse is $100,000, with the second-place finisher earning $50,000, according to NBA.com.
A $1M prize could also bring back other big-name dunkers--Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin, being the most notable.
This move by Johnson, if accepted by the Miami Heat star, would also help boost the ratings of the "Dunk Contest" that have steadily been declining since the 80's and put a mussel on other critics, like ESPN's "First Take"naysayer, Skip Bayless, who claims that James is afraid of failing.
"With the spotlight focusing in on him--I don't think he wants that type of pressure and if he loses--he can't win either way. I think he will never do it," he said, before Johnson's offer.
This proposition comes, as James, along with his Heat teammates, have been staging their own "dunk contest" during pre-game warm ups and when asked by side-line reporters why he is dunking now and not at the All-Star event, he said, "When I do this here, it is for fun. I don't have to think about what 'crazy stuff' to do. I figure it out once up in the air."
Stay turned for more information on "The Decision," part two.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
