AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former Texas Longhorns center Jericho Sims will show off his above-the-rim game at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend.
Sims, in his second year with the New York Knicks, will replace Portland rookie Shaedon Sharpe, according to Stadium’s Shams Charania. Sharpe originally accepted a spot in the iconic All-Star Weekend competition, but has since turned it down to focus on the second half of the season, Charania reported.
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The Knicks picked Sims at No. 58 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, and this season he’s averaging a little more than 15 minutes per game. He’s scoring 3.8 points per game and hauling in 4.7 rebounds per game in his limited action.
Sims is incredibly athletic for his size at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, and there are several highlights and videos of him throwing down vicious dunks with his head near or above the rim. When the Knicks drafted Sims, the team put this highlight reel on its YouTube page giving fans a glimpse at what he could offer the team.
Sims played three seasons for the Longhorns, averaging 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game over his career.
Sims joins Houston’s KJ Martin, New Orleans’ Trey Murphy and Mac McClung who is currently playing in the NBA G League for the Delaware Blue Hens as dunk contest participants. The NBA All-Star Weekend is Feb. 17-19 in Salt Lake City, Utah with the dunk contest slated for Feb. 18.
