Dwight Howard May Never Let Dunk Judges Screw Him Again

Dwight Howard finished third in the Slam Dunk Contest, but anyone who watched the event seems to agree that he got a raw deal from the judges. People are still talking about his "sticker dunk," which was somehow given a lower score than Nate Robinson's lame "take the ball directly out of David Lee's hand" dunk in the same round.

Even after the NBA rained Howard even admitted afterward that he was saving his "kiss the rim" dunk for the next round. Oh well, there's always next year, right? Not so fast. It appears Michael Jordan and Julius Erving's miserly ways with the scorecards may have scarred Young Thunder for life. From the Orlando Sentinel:

"Sprite [the event's sponsor] has asked me to do it next year. . . . .I don't know if I will now," Howard said. ...

Asked if he had soured on the event, "Kind of. I just don't think it's for tall guys."

Howard's camp was hoping a dunk title, coupled with a credible debut in Sunday's all-star game, would heighten his fan appeal and marketing profile.

"I was mad," Howard, 21, said. "I just sat in my room after it was over and watched the [replay highlights of the dunk] contest on ESPN. It was a little sad."

It is sad. Here's a kid who actually wanted to be in the dunk contest -- as opposed to most other stars who wouldn't even think about it -- and not only did the league tell him he couldn't do his most impressive dunks but the judges were clearly biased in their scoring. According to the Sentinel, he used up 30 stickers practicing that dunk! Meanwhile, Robinson advanced to the final round with a dunk that looked like something he made up on the spot. Heck, even Kobe Bryant admitted Howard got a bad deal:

Bryant said Sunday, "Vince and I were actually talking with Mike and Dr. J across the table because we felt like they were way too harsh on [Howard].

"But you are talking about Michael and Dr. J. It doesn't get anymore serious than that."

It's like the NBA actually enjoys the annual debate about why we even bother watching this thing every year.