NBA great Shaquille O¡¯Neal said ?on Monday he is launching a professional dunk league with its inaugural season set to debut this year.
The league, which also has the backing of TNT ?Sports and Authentic Brands Group, builds on ?the ?¡°Dunkman¡± TV series launched last year ?and aims to turn dunk contests from one-off showcase events into a structured professional competition.
Featuring 24 ?athletes from around the world, the league¡¯s first season ?will include four live group-stage events, with competitors vying for places in the ?Dunkman?World Championship.
The winner ?of the final will receive a $500,000 grand prize.
¡°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, who will serve as league commissioner, said in a statement.
The events will air across TNT, ?TBS, truTV and HBO Max, with additional content distributed through social media channels and other digital brands.
TNT Sports Chief Content Officer Craig Barry said the ?league ?would target audiences drawn to both ?sports and culture, adding that the partnership with ?O¡¯Neal would help create programming built around the personalities and creativity of top dunkers.
A panel of judges will evaluate each dunk attempt ?to decide which athletes advance through the competition. Details such as host cities, participants and broadcast information would be announced in the coming weeks.
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