What Makes NBA All-Star Weekend so Mythical?

How many times in your life will you watch a man jump over a dragon to dunk a basketball?

Whether you saw it live or watched the video on YouTube, Aaron Gordon’s Slam Dunk Contest dunk became a talking point at water coolers across America for weeks.

With the NFL season ending with a New England Patriot Super Bowl LI victory, sports fans may now turn their attention to the NBA, but will they?

Though the NBA features a full slate of competitive games each night, sports fans are not drawn to the NBA as much as other sports.

According to a Harris Poll Survey, professional basketball is the fifth most popular sport in America behind professional football, baseball, college football and auto racing.

The NBA is not worse on the surface than any of these other sports, but like any form of entertainment, it has its flaws

One way in which the NBA exceeds all other major sports in popularity is with their All-Star Weekend.

With events like the skills challenge, three-point contest, dunk contest and the All-Star game itself, there is no one who can compete with the NBA.

A prime example of their All-Star dominance is last year’s legendary slam dunk showdown between Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavine.

In 2016, the NBA All-Star game marked its best ratings in the last three seasons with as many as 8.7 million viewers at some points. This season’s NFL Pro Bowl, on the other hand, saw a decline in ratings for the sixth straight season.

Though flawed, the NBA gives us some of the world’s most high-flying and explosive athletes in the world, and during All-Star Weekend, all of their abilities are highlighted.

With the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend just days away, be sure to tune in for yet another exciting year of athletic feats we never before would have dreamed could be possible.

Who knows, we might even see a man clear a dragon once again?