2012 NBA Slam Dunk Contest: Pacers' Paul George Announced As One Of Four Participants

The NBA on Thursday announced that Pacers guard Paul George will be among the four participants in the 2012 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

George, a second-year player out of Fresno State, will be joined by Houston’s Chase Budinger, New York’s Iman Shumpert and Minnesota’s Derrick Williams.

George is averaging 12.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season. He has started every game for the Pacers, who are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. He is third on the team in minutes, averaging 31 per game, and is shooting 43.5 percent from the floor.

George had a season-high 30 points on Feb. 3 in a 98-87 win over Dallas, and has scored in double-figures in seven of Indy’s nine games this month.

This is among the many nasty dunks George has accumulated in his career.

For more on the Indiana Pacers, check out Indy Cornrows. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

The Indiana Pacers are struggling after losing their third consecutive game on Saturday night. All of the recent losing has taken a little luster off of the exciting news that center Roy Hibbert was selected to his first All-Star team.

Prior to the Pacers game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, the team recognized Hibbert's achievement in front of the home crowd by having team president Larry Bird present Hibbert with his double-nickle all-star jersey.

Now Hibbert just needs to return to his All-Star form to help the Pacers start winning again. Since the announcement, Hibbert has made just six of 18 shots in two games, scoring five points against Memphis and 12 last night against the Nuggets.

A couple of days off will do the big fella well so he can rest his legs and prepare to take on a few of his All-Star game teammates on the Miami Heat.

For more on the Indiana Pacers, check out Indy Cornrows. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

The Indiana Pacers were expected to have at least one NBA All-Star representing the team considering their solid performance this season, but it didn't end up being the one expected. Roy Hibbert was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve, but Danny Granger was snubbed.

Granger hasn't been the most consistent shooter this season, obviously, but he's been the most important player on the team's roster. The swingman is shooting just 38 percent from the field, but he's averaging 18.3 points and a decent 35 percent from beyond the arc as the Pacers have piled up a 17-8 record.

Hibbert obviously hasn't been bad, though, it just didn't seem like he'd be named to the team. The center is averaging 13.6 points and 9.9 rebounds to this point in the season.

The remaining Eastern Conference reserves include Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Deron Williams.

For more on the Indiana Pacers, check out Indy Cornrows. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.