Dwight Howard Doubts He or LeBron Will Compete in Dunk Contest

DENVER -- Unless Superman is planning a surprise appearance out of another phone booth, don't expect to hear Dwight Howard's name called when the NBA announces its All-Star dunk participants on Monday.

Howard also said not to count on LeBron James participating.

In an interview with FanHouse before Wednesday's game at Denver, Howard was asked if there's any chance he will take part in next month's event in Dallas. Howard said last month he didn't expect to compete.

"If I got some legs, I might go out there,'' Howard said.

But then, Orlando's center, who won the competition in 2008 before losing out last year to New York guard Nate Robinson, turned serious.

"I don't think they're going to announce my name (as a participant),'' he said.

Asked if he was sure about that, Howard said, "Yeah.''

The NBA did announce Wednesday that TNT will reveal two dunkers Thursday night. The two will battle in a inaugural one-round competition at halftime of the Feb. 12 Rookie Challenge. Fans will then vote by text message or on NBA.com for which one will advance to the Feb. 13 main event.

Monday's announcement will reveal the three dunkers assured of being in the main contest. According to Howard, who has been talking with James, don't hold your breath waiting for the participation of Cleveland's superstar, who vowed last year to dunk for the first time but since has been wavering.

"Me and him are talking,'' Howard said. "I don't know if he wants to do it. We do a lot of dunking during the season so those dunk contests take a lot out of you. ... I would love to see him get in one. But I doubt he does. I don't think he's going to do it.''

Howard wondered if James' abilities would translate well to a dunk contest.

"I think LeBron understands that the dunk contest is different from dunking in the game,'' Howard said. "If you're out there in a game, the adrenaline is pumping, the crowd is there and you're dunking for real. In the dunk contest, it's just you. You're out there (yourself) and the whole world is watching.

"So it's a different scenario. I think he's more a game dunker than a dunk-contest dunker. ... Dunk-contest people want to see stuff they've never seen before, and there's not too much that can be done that hasn't been done already.''

Nevertheless, Howard, who has dazzled fans with his creativity, including wearing a Superman cape and coming out of a phone booth to dunk, said he has a nice arsenal of dunks in reserve.

"Every dunk that I've done in a dunk contest, I've been practicing those dunks over three years,'' Howard said. "So there's a lot of dunks that I haven't even done yet in a dunk contest that people haven't seen.

"I just decided to keep it to myself. Even last year in a dunk contest, I had a lot of dunks I just decided not to do that I should have done. I would have had two titles (rather than losing in 2009 to Robinson).''

With all these leftover dunks, why doesn't Howard take another run at the contest?

"My teammates need me later in the season,'' said Howard, whose Magic made it to last year's NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Howard also said he wants to conserve his energy for what he hopes will be another run at a title.

"(A dunk contest) takes a lot of energy. It takes a lot to get up and people don't understand that," Orlando's center said. "They say, 'He's tall and he's right there at the rim and it doesn't take a lot.' It takes a lot for me to get up and do a lot of things I do in the air. And I weigh a lot (265 pounds), too.''

With Howard saying he's bowing out, he mentioned three dunkers he would like to see battle for the title.

"Shannon Brown, Derrick Rose, DeMar DeRozan (a rookie who shares an agent with Howard in Aaron Goodwin) might be in it," he said. "Those are the only three I can think of.''

Still, the fans like to see superstars in the contest. But Superman had no super news Wednesday when it came to he and James.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter@christomasson