Warner Bros. Discovery may no longer show weekly NBA games on TNT, but that doesn’t mean the company won’t be doing basketball anymore.
Shaquille O’Neal, Authentic Brand Group, and Warner’s TNT Sports plan to launch the first dunk-related professional league, Dunkman, in the summer of 2026. In the first season, 24 accomplished dunkers will compete live in four events. Finalists will compete for the World Championship title and $500,000 in prize money. Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. will also partner with the league.
“The NBA dunk contest over the last 10 to 15 years has been terrible,” O’Neal told Variety in an interview Monday. “We want the best dunkers in the world, and we know there are a lot of great dunkers out there.”
O’Neal will serve as the new league’s commissioner.
The launch of “Dunkman,” which began late last year as a six-episode contest, is the latest in a series of new efforts by media companies to gain more control over the rights to the sport that makes up a significant portion of their programming schedules. The cost of broadcasting top-level games such as the NFL and NBA continues to rise. With that in mind, many of the country’s major media companies are starting their own associations. Warner also works with the 3-on-3 Unrivaled Women’s Basketball League to run the celebrity golf tournament “The Match.” Fox Corp is the principal owner of the UFL Spring Football League.
“We came to the conclusion that these are professional athletes and we need to organize,” Craig Barry, executive vice president and chief content officer of Warner-owned TNT Sports, said in an interview. “We believe we have a chance to bring the league to the fans.” Fans have already expressed interest in watching the great dunk play on digital and social media.
The league’s live events will be broadcast on TNT, TBS, truTV and HBO Max, with additional content streamed on “Dunkman,” social channels, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and YouTube.
O’Neal is passionate about the concept, said Lee White, head of sports content for WME, which represents the basketball legend. “Shaq has been outspoken about the current state of the dunk contest and its loss of relevance in recent years. There’s no star power, but more importantly, there’s been a decline in innovation and creativity,” he says. “But instead of just complaining about a problem and waiting for someone to fix it, Shaq and the team have built something entirely new with ‘Dunkman.’ We feel this is a truly groundbreaking competition that brings together the best viral dunk artists from around the world and appeals to an underserved audience.”
O’Neal said fans will get to meet new athletes. He cites the example of a Polish doctor who took part in the first competition and showed amazing skills. “This is a new professional league, not a dunk contest. We’re calling all dunkers,” he says.
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