"There’s no part of me that has regrets" - LeBron James makes feelings crystal clear on never entering NBA Dunk Contest

Fans have always wanted to see LeBron James compete in the Slam Dunk competition at least once in his career. James frequently makes impressive dunks during league games or on the international stage with Team USA, which excites the audience.

This increased fans' enthusiasm for seeing him compete. However, several seasons later, James did not gratify his fans by participating in the dunk contest.

The LA Lakers player stated that he was interested in performing for the audience when he was younger. However, as he's aged, he's grown more aware of how his body reacts. King James is now focusing on getting ready for his team after missing the 2025 All-Star Game with an ankle injury.

Over the weekend, the four-time champion addressed his lack of participation in the event. He said he doesn't regret not ever joining the contest and said that "it just never worked out."

“No, there’s no part of me that has regrets about not doing it,” James said. “Obviously, I had a couple moments where I wanted to do it, and it just never worked out that way going into the following season, either, because of injuries or I just wasn’t up for it.

Despite this, he still promoted other stars to join the contest.

“But I don’t know. If those guys do do it, those are superstars in our league, and obviously we know the athleticism of the guys that you just named. It would be pretty cool. We’ll see.”

LeBron James has participated in one dunk contest during his entire basketball career. He entered the 2003 McDonald's All-American Game Slam Dunk Contest as a senior. The future Hall of Famer captured the crowd with his high-flying aerial acrobatics.

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LeBron James wanted to join the dunk contest in 2006

LeBron James was interested in joining the contest early in his career. A post from NBA Insider Chris Haynes from 2018 on X (formerly Twitter) reveals that he would've joined the lineup in 2006. However, Haynes reported minor injuries caused the four-time MVP to opt out of the contest.

"LeBron James said there were multiple years he seriously considered entering Slam Dunk Contest, but says minor injuries occurred. The 05-06 season was a year he intended to compete in," Haynes reported in 2018.

That year featured Nate Robinson, Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith and Hakim Warrick. That was also the start of Robinson's dominance in the contest, winning his first of three dunk contests.