2020 Slam Dunk to the Beach canceled

You can add the 2020 Slam Dunk to the Beach holiday basketball tournament to the list of events canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I write with great reluctance to share with you that due to circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic the Slam Dunk to the Beach basketball tournament will not be held this year,” wrote Dr. Matthew J. Robinson, chairman of the Delaware Sports Commission and the Slam Dunk tournament, in an email. “This has been a difficult decision, one given a great deal of consideration by the tournament leadership. At the center of the decision was ensuring the health and safety of the participants, coaches and spectators. We also wanted to make sure that we could offer the same high-quality event that is expected from our fans and sponsors.”

He continued, “We will be back in 2021 better than ever and we look forward to sharing in the good times and great basketball that Slam Dunk to the Beach has delivered in years past.”

The Slam Dunk to the Beach is held annually between Christmas and the new year at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes. 

The tournament was founded in 1990 and ran until 2003 at the now-demolished Cape High. The event attracted some of today's top professional basketball players during their high school years, including reigning NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James and perennial all-stars Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard. It was revived in 2014 and quickly reclaimed notoriety for attracting the country’s top high school players. 

Notable coaches including Jay Wright, Villanova University; Roy Williams, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; and Patrick Ewing, Georgetown University make regular visits to Slam Dunk, and the event generates over $1 million in economic impact for Sussex County.

To learn more about the tournament, go to slamdunktothebeach.com.