The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend was an up-and-down experience, though the actual main event on Sunday was competitive and therefore entertaining.
Saturday night, however, was a different story, with the dunk contest in particular being a complete disaster. But Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia has an actual solution to fix this broken event.
Ishbia is offering the winner of the 2027 dunk contest $1 million
Ishbia has never been afraid to spend money when necessary, and landing the 2027 All-Star game (after which the WNBA equivalent had already been hosted) was seen as a coup.
That means $1 million will be offered to the winner of the competition when it takes place in The Valley next year, plus another $1 million to the winner of the three-point contest, such as a home run.
Mat Ishbia has taken a lot of fair criticism for the way he’s run the Suns over the years (a fair share from me), but between this stuff, broadcasting Suns games and the food prizes at their games, he’s at least a very fan-friendly owner. https://t.co/qYbIR6Yq10
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) February 25, 2026
Let’s start with the obvious, and it’s clear from the Emirates NBA Cup that having money on the line makes guys worry.
That said, those who benefit most from a cup run are the end of the bench players who don’t have huge, multi-year deals.
So even as Ishbia tries to entice stars to join in, it’s still names like Jase Richardson and Jaxson Hayes (neither of whom had great outings in Los Angeles) that are sure to be interested.
Also giving the same amount of money to the 3-point contest, even though it isn’t broken and very entertaining, is a nice touch, although it would also be cool to open it up to WNBA players.
We’re not here to talk about the financial state of that league with a new CBA yet to be agreed, but you have to imagine the top names would want to commit to those kinds of numbers.
Unfortunately for Ishbia, it’s unclear if this is actually allowed under NBA rules, although there’s still time to find out that part.
If he could pull this off and convince some of the better-known players to participate, it would make next year’s midseason exhibition even more memorable.
It’s just a shame that the Suns don’t have a player of their own who could participate in the game, although Devin Booker will certainly be back for the three-point showdown.
However, you can never blame Ishbia for finding ways to make the product better, and this is another example that fans can easily get behind.
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