5 players who belong in the 2018 NBA Dunk Contest

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo

This might be our last chance to get The Greek Freak into the Slam Dunk Contest. In fact, the time may have already passed as Giannis is no longer one of the league’s top rising talents and has ascended into one of the NBA’s brightest stars. Full stop.

Typically, once a player reaches the level of stardom at which Antetokounmpo currently sits, the chances of getting them into the Slam Dunk Contest are slim-to-none. We think it could be possible to convince him into doing this one more time.

He’d certainly add the star-power the league is looking for to the event. His in-game dunks and feats of athleticism speak for themselves.

The knock against him competing in the event would be the tried-and-true argument all players make once they’ve reached a certain standing in the game: there’s nothing for him to gain, and everything to lose.

But Giannis is still young, one more shot at Dunk Contest glory could still be in the cards. It would allow him to make up for his lackluster showing in the 2015 event.

Not all great in-game dunkers can translate that skill into the Dunk Contest. Sometimes it just doesn’t line up. We think Giannis can make it work. We believe in his talents, his athleticism, his personality, and his long, freakish limbs.

Here’s an idea — pair him up with a dunk coach. Get somebody to come up with crazy, original dunk concepts suited for Antetokounmpo’s unique skill set to allow him to show off in the contest. Let them run wild. Push the boundaries of what we believe to be humanly possible.

It would be a challenge to come up with something the Greek Freak actually couldn’t pull off. And the Dunk Contest would be made all the better for it.