Source: Smith Jr. to compete in dunk contest

Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. plans to accept an invitation to participate in the slam dunk contest at All-Star Weekend, sources confirmed.

Smith, who was eliminated in the first round of last year’s dunk contest, has had a change of heart since media day in September. He said then that he would not do the dunk contest this year, adding that “the gimmicks and everything that go with it, I’m not with it.”

Smith did not use any props on his two dunks in last year’s contest. He felt that the score of 39 the judges gave him on his first dunk — a two-handed reverse he threw down after putting the ball behind his head and then below his knees — was unfairly low. Smith received a perfect score of 50 on his second dunk, a 360 windmill in which he switched the ball from his left to right hand in the air.

All-Star Weekend, set for Feb. 15-17 in Charlotte, will be a homecoming of sorts for Smith, a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina. He is also a strong candidate for the Rising Stars game, which the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 draft played in as a rookie last season.

The Athletic first reported that Smith would participate in the dunk contest.

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