Shaquille O'Neal starting a new Dunkman league, offering a prize of $500,000 for best dunker
Shaquille O'Neal wants to find the best dunker in the world. O'Neal — who had roughly 4,000 dunks in his NBA career, including playoffs — announced Monday night that he's the founder and inaugural commissioner of Dunkman, which he's touting as the first professional league for dunking. The league, O'Neal said, will look to build off the popularity of that six-episode series.
Shaquille O'Neal wants to find the best dunker in the world. O'Neal — who had roughly 4,000 dunks in his NBA career, including playoffs — announced Monday night that he's the founder and inaugural commissioner of Dunkman, which he's touting as the first professional league for dunking. It follows a Dunkman television series, which aired last year.
The league, O'Neal said, will look to build off the popularity of that six-episode series. In a partnership with TNT Sports, O'Neal's new league will have five live events — four group stage competitions, followed by a title event — featuring 24 dunkers from around the world. At stake: the title of world champion, along with $500,000.
“These athletes are innovators and Dunkman is going to give them a global stage, real stakes, and a chance to build careers doing what they love," O'Neal said. "We are transforming dunking from a one-night contest to the fastest growing professional sport off two feet. ” The league's events will air across a variety of platforms, including TNT, TBS, truTV and HBO Max , along with some social channels.
The league said it will use “an Olympic-level scoring system that sets a modern standard for professional dunking,” featuring a panel of expert judges. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews. com/hub/nba