CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan vows he’s finished competing in the NBA’s slam dunk contest unless the myriad of props that dominated Saturday’s event are eliminated.
Asked Tuesday if he thinks he was robbed when he didn’t reach the final of the competition, DeRozan replied, “I think so.” Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers won by leaping over a car to edge Washington’s JaVale McGee in the last round.
“I’m a dunker. Dunk contests, you go out there and dunk. I’m not into all the props and everything,” DeRozan said at shootaround before Tuesday’s game against Charlotte. “I try to come out with a creative dunk and do it and go from there. My fans liked it and you can see the reaction from a lot of people afterward.
“If there’s a dunk contest next year I’ll do it. But not no prop dunk contest.”
A Los Angeles native and former player at Southern California, DeRozan says he was disappointed in how the contest played out in his hometown after spending extra time practicing and preparing creative dunks. He didn’t include props such as the car, a stuffed toy and using an extra basket as other competitors did.
DeRozan feels the extra elements cheapens the contest.
“I think a lot of people probably look at it like that. It seems that way when you watch it,” he said. “This year I put thought into it. I practiced, had dunks ready and everything. It is what it is. I did it two years in a row. I’m good.”
Asked if he would reconsider, DeRozan said he would only compete again if the All-Star game is held in Toronto or if the rules are changed to eliminate props.
“There’s no telling what might happen next year,” DeRozan said. “Somebody might use a trampoline.”
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