Jan. 23, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during a game against the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Whether you love James or you hate him, there is absolutely no denying his spot as not only the greatest player in the world, but (arguably) the most exciting to watch as well.

For year’s, LeBron James has been electrifying the league with his unbridled athleticism and spectacular highlight-reel jams.

Yet, up until this point, he’s never competed in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, which is one of the staples of NBA All-Star weekend.

Starting this season, the Eastern and Western Conference will go up against each other in the All-Star competitions. Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers will be the captains of their respective conferences.

According to a report by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, Wade tried valiantly to persuade James to participate in this year’s Dunk Contest in Houston, but to no avail.

“I tried to convince LeBron,” Wade said Friday before the Heat took on the Indiana Pacers

“I told him I’d throw him a lob and we’ll win,” Wade said. “He turned me down; I think he got nervous.”.

From an excitement standpoint, I don’t think any fan can give a valid enough reason as to why they wouldn’t want to see “King” James throw it down on All-Star weekend.

However, as the famous Rolling Stones song goes, “you can’t always get what you want”.

What reason would James have to compete, other than every NBA fan around the world desperately wanting him to?

Chris Thomas, an avid basketball fan, has come up with an initiative to raise $1 million to entice James to participate. The money would go to the LeBron James Family Foundation, but that’s only if he dunks.

It’s a solid idea, but James could raise that kind of money for his charity at any time, so I doubt that will cut it.

If LeBron were to enter, who would have a shot at beating him? He would be the odds-on favorite no matter who he went up against. Even if he were to lose, having a no-name NBA talent knock him off in such a meaningless event won’t hurt his reputation at all.

He’s already competing in the actual NBA All-Star game, so why not just enjoy Saturday night’s festivities on the sidelines and get some extra rest?

Look, I’d love to see James dunk just as much as the next guy, but trust me, it’s never going to happen.

It sucks, but it’s true.

We all can dream, right?

Chris Walder is the Editor of Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports

Earlier this evening on TNT’s NBA Tip-Off show, all 10 starters for the 2013 NBA All-Star game were officially unveiled to the basketball world.

In the Eastern Conference, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat will be joined by Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics, as well as Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks.

In the Western Conference, the city of Los Angeles will be highly represented as Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers join Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant rounds out the line-up.

Kobe Bryant led all vote-getters with 1,591,437 votes

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Andrew Bynum of the Philadelphia 76ers are the only two starters from last years game to not make the cut this season.

Jeremy Lin of the Houston Rockets finished 45,000 votes behind Chris Paul for the second backcourt spot in the West, while Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh finished 25,000 votes behind Kevin Garnett for the third frontcourt spot out East.

The 2013 NBA All-Star game will take place on February 17 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR STARTERS

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR STARTERS

Chris Walder is the Editor here at Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports