Slam Dunk champ Jeremy Evans loses a contest in Latvia (VIDEO)

Once the marquee event of All-Star Weekend, the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest has seen its popularity dip in recent seasons as superstars opt against participating and competitors increasingly rely on gimmicks instead of aerial artistry. Nevertheless, the contest is not without its charms. In the midst of a rather dull 2012 entry in Orlando, Utah Jazz big man Jeremy Evans wowed the crowd at least once on his way to the title.

Evans is a great dunker, clearly, and it'd take a lot to beat him in any competition. Surprisingly, though, he was bested by Kristaps Dargais during a recent dunk contest appearance in Riga, Latvia. Watch the video above, and wonder how this upset ever happened. Then, after the jump, check out more dunks from Dargais and Evans (via TeamFlightBrothers on YouTube).

In truth, Evans' dunks are pretty good, and it's possible that one of his Latvian opponents beat him due to some hometown scoring from the judges. Still, it's a little goofy that an NBA dunk champion could lose in a relatively small-scale battle like this one.

Video via SLC Dunk