Zion: 'If I'm in the All-Star Game, I'll do the dunk contest'

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson seems prepared to take a stab at reviving the NBA's stale Slam Dunk contest, but he has one condition.

"I gotta do my part and make the All-Star Game. If I'm in the All-Star Game, I'll do the dunk contest," Williamson told reporters on Tuesday, via Pelicans Film Room. "But if I'm not, I'm not doing it."

Williamson has already made two All-Star Game appearances, in 2021 and 2023, but didn't play the latter due to a hamstring injury.

The topic arose after Williamson added a pair of dazzling dunks to his lengthy career highlight reel, finishing strong in transition in the first half, then rising high to corral an alley-oop in the final frame of Tuesday's 139-98 win over the Toronto Raptors.

The NBA's dunk contest has taken a backseat to the Three-Point Contest in recent years. Only two players with standard NBA contracts took part in the event last month, and Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown became the first All-Star to participate since 2018.