Joel Embiid clowns NBA Slam Dunk Contest and Kenny Smith

The 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contestleft much to be desired, according to fans and even one NBAsuperstar on social media.

Philadelphia 76ers reigning MVPJoel Embiid is known for cracking jokes on the internet, withSaturday night being no exception. He posted to X on multipleoccasions, poking fun at the commentators and dunks from theevening.

“Kenny smith been drinking lmao,” he tweeted first.

Smith was one of the voices forTNT's broadcast of All-Star Saturday Night alongside Kevin Harlan,Reggie Miller and Allie LaForce. The two-time NBA champion shared avariety of opinions, which Embiid clearly disagreedwith.

“I’m a professional hater butI’m not hating when I say I could win the dunk contest with thesescores but not sure the knees would allow it," Embiidadded in a post that had social media buzzing.

A critique of the judges was notuncommon, as there were various moments that resulted in angeramong fans. One instance occurred when G-Leaguer Mac McClung threwthe ball to himself while in the air, but received less than aperfect score. Fans were also frustrated when Miami Heat rookieJaime Jaquez Jr. jumped over NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, but wasgiven a lower score than Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown’s slamover influencer Kai Cenat, who was sitting down.

McClung, the reigning champion,claimed his second consecutive dunk-contest win with scores of 48,49.4, 48.8 and 50. McClung’s final dunk was the lone 50 of theevening. He became the fifth back-to-back winner in NBA history,joining Zach LaVine, Michael Jordan, Nate Robinson and JasonRichardson. The consensus among fans is that the Osceola Magicguard deserved the victory but that this performance was lessimpressive than last year's showing.

New York Knicks’ Jacob Toppinand Jaquez were eliminated in the opening round. Brown finished asthe runner-up, with boos pouring in from the crowd during his turndue to controversial scoring.

Embiid’s mention of his kneesnot allowing it refers to his unfortunate injury, which happened onJan. 30 against the Golden State Warriors. He suffered a leftmeniscus injury, which required surgery. Embiid will bere-evaluated in four weeks.

Prior to the injury, the Sixersbig man was projected to win his second MVP award. He is averaging35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 53.3% shooting. WithEmbiid sidelined, Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Dallas Mavericks’Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander arethe top MVP candidates.