Kevin Durant Will Pass on the Dunk Contest

The holiday season is upon us, and for most, the NBA's All-Star weekend in February isn't exactly something that's a high priority right now. But a quick look at the calendar shows that the mid-season showcase is a mere eight weeks away, and things like the dunk contest don't go down without plenty of advance preparation.

It's no surprise that the league is currently seeking out participants for the weekend's signature event; remember, last December, Dwight Howard was not only confirmed to participate, but he already had the whole phone booth stunt ready to go. But at least one high profile star has turned down an invite, and that would be the Thunder's Kevin Durant.

In a post on his blog, Durant explains the reason for declining the invite, and it's mainly because in his eyes, he's not a "dunk contest dunker."

My agent came to me last week and asked me if I wanted to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest and I was like...'Nah.' I'm just not a dunk contest dunker, you know what I mean? I don't even do any good dunks in games. I can't jump as high as those guys, either, so I'll leave that up to the Rudy Gays and the Dwight Howards to show off in the Dunk Contest. I'll pass on that.

Durant probably made the right call here, especially if he doesn't feel he's up to the task.

It is nice to see the league reaching out to some of its brighter stars for the event, though. And if LeBron James actually sticks to his word and decides to participate, we're likely to see some other big names enter the competition as well.