The NBA has decided it’s time to “Let Jeremy Dunk.”

Jeremy Evans, a former WKU basketball forward and track & field athlete now playing for the NBA’s Utah Jazz, replaced Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks in the NBA’s All-Star Slam Dunk Contest after Shumpert pulled out of the contest with tendonitis in his left knee.

The 6-foot-9 Evans will compete against Indiana Pacer Paul George, Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Derrick Williams, and Houston Rocket Chase Budinger.

The contest will take place at 7 p.m. CST on Saturday and will be televised on TNT.

The NBA also announced that for the first time ever, judges will not be used in the contest to determine the winner.

The contest has been reduced to one round, with each participant executing three dunks. Fans will decide the champion via votes through NBA.com, Twitter and text messaging.

The changes in the competition could prove to be an advantage for Evans, who’s gained increasing support on social networking websites like Twitter in recent weeks.

The online support peaked on Feb. 10, when WKU and Jazz fans unleashed a barrage of tweets with the hashtag “#LetJeremyDunk” during an ESPN televised matchup of the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Evans addressed the fans in a video released by NBA.com.

“I just want to thank the fans for the ‘Let Jeremy Dunk’ campaign, I guess it paid off,” he said. “I’m headed to Orlando.

“Make sure you stay tuned All-Star Saturday night and vote, help me win.”