LeBron James and His Yellow Cardigan Vow to Save the Pitiful Dunk Contest

By, at last, deigning to compete in what was once All-Star Weekend's signature event.

Showing the humility that has endeared him to millions, LeBron upstaged Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson's prop-filled aerial show last night with a simple announcement, and did so in the third person: He's going to be in the 2010 Dunk Contest.

As Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard battled it out during of the finals of Saturday's Slam Dunk contest, TNT's Kenny Smith revealed that LeBron James has agreed to participate in the 2010 Slam Dunk contest. Surely he was joking, right? Putting King James on the spot in an effort to shame him into accepting?

Apparently not. Minutes later, James confirmed the news to Cheryl Miller. "Right now I'm preliminarily putting my name in the 2010 contest Saturday night," he said before continuing in the third-person, "LeBron James is saying in 2010, in Dallas Stadium, [preliminarily] he will compete."

This got a bigger ovation from the crowd than anything that's taken place in the Dunk Contest since Michael Jordan's short-shorts were involved in the event. Which was a good reminder that when it comes to NBA-related matters, it's about LeBron James. Always.

LeBron James 'Preliminarily' Commits to the 2010 Slam Dunk Contest [FanHouse]