For the first time in NBA history, a player has won the dunk contest three years in a row. Mac McClung of the Orlando Magic soared through the sky, seamlessly slamming four dunks of equal skill, all on the first attempt. He jumped over cars, cleared giants, swerved around obstacles midair and even dunked two basketballs at once.

Meh.

The general NBA fanbase seemed generally unimpressed with this feat. The typical haters of all things NBA ironically spoke louder than any hoops fan, echoing years-old narratives that the NBA was dead and gone.

I personally have my own qualms with the league’s All-Star weekend. I believe, like most, that superstars should be participating in the dunk contest, something Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant hinted he may be interested in going forward. I also believe the new All-Star format is in need of some revision.

The fact remains: McClung’s dunks were some of the best we have ever seen. His three-peat is packed with ridiculous highlights that push the capabilities of the human body despite 45-plus years of NBA fans watching the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant break athletic barriers of their own in the dunk contest.

Still, the trolls spoke louder than you and me. They always do, and they control the narrative, whether it is based on reason or not.

Suns forward and veteran superstar Kevin Durant may have said it best in his ironic X post: “I think it’s more fun to complain about the nba than to actually watch it. Crazy, cancel all star weekend and let’s just give everybody a break since we’re so miserable around this time…”

When challenged in the comments, he elaborated: “I get it. My point is, fans complain about EVERYTHING. Like nothing is good enough for the fans right now. Only thing they enjoy is playoffs, trade deadline, free agency and when players beef with each other lol.”

Nothing has rung truer from what many would call the internet troll himself. Durant, who is certainly responsible for some anger-provoking satirical posts of his own, put the entire situation in perspective: this has gone too far.

This year, the NBA tried a new format for the All-Star game. A tournament of sorts featuring three teams of All-Stars and the team that won the tournament-style Rising Stars challenge. This came in response to rampant criticism of the East-West format the NBA returned to for last year’s All-Star game.

Ron Harper, a former NBA player, had one of the most viewed X posts of the weekend summarizing his thoughts: “They’re making a joke out of the all star weekend for sure it’s not about the players it’s all the entertainment TRASH!!! Go back to EAST WEST GAME @NBAonTNT @NBA.”

Sam Quinn of CBS Sports actually wrote a pretty well-balanced article about the weekend. He did use some fiery terms like “disaster” in negative subheads (especially about the broadcast, where there was more talking than live basketball), but he noted the “promising” format and gave credit to the NBA for trying new and innovative ways to allure fans.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver knew this format was a risk; he has taken many over his career in order to please fans. However, they just keep demanding more. I’m pretty sure the loudest X trolls don’t even like basketball at this point. It seems like whatever product is put out there will not sit right with them (even if it is the USA vs World format that has grown in popularity), for whatever reason or lack thereof, but hey, they gotta get clicks. It’s a dog-eat-dog world.

With that, I have some advice for NBA fans that actually saw some improvement in many areas of the event that celebrates the league’s very best: be the opposite of a sponge. Don’t slowly absorb all the takes around you, adopting the divisive dogma as your screen time piles up. Enjoy what you enjoy, make your own opinions, and give feedback when there is feedback worth giving. Don’t give agency to those that seek to anger us by creating silly posts that have no standing in reality, even if it’s former NBA players seeking some form of recognition after their careers are nearly forgotten (sorry Ron Harper).

And to the NBA, your fans are the ones that matter, not the bigots. Keep innovating.

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