MIAMI — Jeremy Evans might have been outscored 30-2 by LeBron James on Saturday. But there's something Evans says he has on the Miami Heat star.
The Utah Jazz forward is the defending NBA slam-dunk champion. He has no doubt who would win if he had the chance to take on James.
"I'm going to say I would," said Evans, whose Jazz fell 105-89 to Miami at AmericanAirlines Arena. "I haven't seen any tricks from him yet because he hasn't been in (an NBA) dunk contest. ... You need the tricks and moves rather than just being a power dunker in a game."
For starters, it's not going to happen.
James told FOX Sports Florida that, while he has thought seriously several times about entering the dunk contest during All-Star Weekend in his nine previous seasons, it never will occur.
"No," said James, who turns 28 on Dec. 30. "It's over with. I'm getting too old for that. ... There were times when I wanted to do it. But I came into All-Star Weekend a few times banged up and I didn't want to risk further injury."
Even if he ever were to face Evans, 25, James conceded the third-year man is right. He agrees Evans, who also said he would defeat the Lakers' Dwight Howard and the Clippers' Blake Griffin if either returned to the event, could topple the King.
"I'm not a dunk-contest guy, so he probably could beat me in a dunk contest," James said. "I'm OK with that."
James once was a dunk-contest guy. He won the 2003 event at the McDonald's All-American Game before entering the NBA later that year.
Throughout his pro career, James regularly has dropped hints about competing in another contest. But it always has led to fans being disappointed.
"If LeBron ever were to do it, it would be sold out. There would be energy in the air and it would be electric," said Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, who won the dunk contest for Atlanta in 1985 and 1990. "It would be huge. I would pay to see him do it."
One thinks Wilkins might have paid more to see James dunk when younger. Even Shane Battier, James' teammate, doesn't believe James would now beat Evans in a contest.
"Jeremy is pretty springy," Battier said. "A young LeBron, that might be interesting. But at this point, I'm going with Jeremy Evans. I'm taking LeBron maybe six years ago. He's aged."
Age didn't keep Wilkins from winning his second crown. He was 30 when he became the oldest dunk champion in history at All-Star Weekend in Miami in 1990.
But the contest has changed since then. There's a quest each year for participants to come up with something quite unique.
"I don't think LeBron has any fancy dunks where he can get up real high, so I think Jeremy could probably beat him and come up with other dunks," Jazz forward Al Jefferson said of what would happen if Evans and James met now. "It's 2012. You got to do a little bit more than getting up above the rim and windmilling. You got to come up with stuff nobody really ever has seen before."
Evans' repertoire last February in Orlando included Jazz teammate Gordon Hayward seated in a chair and throwing two balls up before Evans, while jumping over Hayward, caught and dunked both.
Howard entered dunking lore when he donned a Superman outfit while winning in 2008 in New Orleans. Griffin jumped over a car for his 2011 triumph in Los Angeles.
But Evans isn't worried. He's looking forward to defending his title Feb. 16 in Houston, and says bring both of those stars on.
"I'm going to say, yeah, I could (beat both)," Evans said of if Howard or Griffin decide to return to the contest, something Howard ruled out two years ago. "I'll take the challenge. ... Yeah, (Evans believes he can beat) anybody. It will be tough, but go for it."
Dunking is about all Evans is known for in an NBA career that has seen him average 3.0 points, including 2.2 this season. Still, Wilkins said he wasn't impressed with Evans' win in Orlando.
"It was not good," Wilkins said of the contest, which included no star players. "If anybody won, I thought the guy from Indiana (Paul George) was better. The person who won it wasn't the best dunker."
Wilkins isn't sure how to restore the contest to its past glory, when winners included Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter. He said stars have so many more off-the-court responsibilities during All-Star Weekend it makes it difficult to participate.
James said there has become more of an awareness of top players wanting to save themselves for what is important. That, of course, is helping their teams.
"It's a taxing season," James said. "A lot of stars play a lot of the bulk of the minutes. So they got to protect their body and understand that they got to do what's best for them."
As for Evans, he sure isn't playing the bulk of Utah's minutes, having logged just 87 all season while getting into just 12 of his team's 28 games. So he should be well rested to take on any challenger in Houston.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
