NBA Slam Dunk Contest To Be Determined By Twitter

The 2012 all-star NBA Slam Dunk contest is getting rid of stuffy judges and replacing them with the fans – during the live broadcast, fans can vote for their favorite slam dunker by sending in a tweet.

The NBA is trying to revive interest in its All Star programming this year, as fewer of the real stars of basketball actually sign up to participate. They’re hoping that handing the reigns over to the fans, they’ll be able to increase viewership.

Fans can vote at NBA.com, on Twitter or via SMS.

This year’s slam dunk contest will follow a different format than in previous years. There will be only one round, three dunks per participant, and fans will be the sole determiners of the winner. In previous years, judges had voted on the first round and fans got their input on the second.

It features four faces who have never participated in an all-star showcase before: Houston Rockets’ Chase Budinger, the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George, the New York Knicks’ Iman Shumpert, and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Derrick Williams.

The show starts at 8 p.m. ET on TNT on Feb. 25, being broadcast live from the Amway Center in Orlando.

Once each contestant has made his first dunk, voting will open. Fans can send a tweet using the hashtag #SpriteSlam and a letter to be assigned for each contestant to vote for their favorite.

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