LEWES, Del. - Slam Dunk to the Beach, the annual gathering of elite high school basketball players and teams at Cape Henlopen High School during Christmas break, will not take place in 2024. Slam Dunk to the Beach organizers from the Delaware Sports Commission announced what they are calling "a temporary hiatus" on Friday.
Dewey Beach Commissioner Paul Bauer, who has been a big advocate of the tournament, told CoastTV News that two of the main reasons for this decision are the increasing costs of hosting the event and elite high school athletes and teams seeking NIL money for name, image and likeness.
"As the elite high school basketball landscape continues to evolve, we thought it would be prudent to take a step back and evaluate how best to continue supporting and promoting the event moving into the future," stated Dr. Matthew Robinson, chairman of the sports commission. "When we relaunched the event in 2014 we made two important promises: one, to offer the highest quality of high school basketball for our fans, and two, we wanted to be fiscally responsible in that we would pay our vendors and meet our obligations to our sponsors."
"I feel for the past 10 years we have lived up to those promises. The changing landscape will make it a challenge to continue fulfilling those promises," Robinson continued.
NIL refers to new rights for athletes in recent years to profit from their own name, image and likeness. Historically, collegiate athletes were not allowed to benefit financially from their status as athletes due to eligibility regarding amateurism as opposed to professionalism. Now, athletes are able to earn money from endorsements and sponsorships while still maintaining college eligibility.
Some fear NIL will increase costs for the sports industry, from hosting tournaments for venues and organizers to ticket prices for attendees. Others like former Alabama head coach Nick Saben, who announced his retirement in January, have mixed feelings about its impact on the games and players, themselves.
"I'm saying to myself, 'Maybe this doesn't work anymore, that the goals and aspirations are just different and that it's all about how much money can I make as a college player?'" Saben told NBC Sports on March 6. "I'm not saying that it's bad. I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying that's never been what we were all about and it's not why we had success through the years."
Over the years, the Slam Dunk tournament has showcased generations of young athletes who have gone on to create names for themselves and excel at the elite levels of college basketball and the NBA. Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Mo Bamba and Donte DiVincenzo are just a few past participants who have gone through the Cape Henlopen High School gym since the first Slam Dunk tournament over 20 years ago.
Outside of the game, event organizers say Slam Dunk has generated millions of dollars in economic impact through out-of-state teams and fans who travel to Lewes each December.
"Slam Dunk to the Beach has been a beloved community event in Sussex County since its inception, bringing top high school basketball talent to our state and introducing Delaware to new visitors each year," said Delaware Tourism Office Director Jessica Welch. "While we are disappointed to see the event taking a hiatus, we recognize the challenges faced by its organizers amidst a changing environment in high school sports. Our office has been a proud partner of Slam Dunk for several years and we would welcome its return in the future."
The Delaware Sports Commission and Slam Dunk to the Beach say they're on "sound financial footing" and that this temporary break will allow the commission to assess and explore new approaches in order to decide how to move forward.
