This year’s NBA All-Star weekend will be held in Los Angeles at the Intuit Dome, home of the Clippers. With interest declining in the game itself over the last decade the NBA is trying something new this year in the form of a USA vs. World round-robin format featuring three teams of eight All-Stars apiece. However, the other events of the weekend remain largely untouched— including the slam dunk contest.
As was the case last year, the slam dunk contest will feature four players. The contest itself will consist of two rounds, and each dunker will get two dunks in the first round. The two contestants with the highest score after all the dunks will advance to the final round, where they again get two dunks each. The judges will reward the best dunks with the slam dunk contest title.
This year’s dunk contest promises to have a new winner for the first time since 2022 with three-time defending champ Mac McClung opting out of this year’s event.
Who will be competing in the 2026 NBA slam dunk contest? Let’s break it down.
Who is in the 2026 NBA slam dunk contest?
| DUNK CONTEST PARTICIPANT | TEAM |
|---|---|
| Jaxson Hayes | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Jase Richardson | Orlando Magic |
| Keshad Johnson | Miami Heat |
| Carter Bryant | San Antonio Spurs |
On February 8, the NBA released the full list of players who will be dunking in this year’s contest.
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes and Spurs rookie Carter Bryant were the first two to sign up for the dunk contest this year. Neither individual is an All-Star, and Bryant was passed over for the Rising Stars challenge. Both players are pretty bouncy and Hayes has been in the league long enough to boast a fairly impressive highlight reel of slams for a 7-footer. Bryant is new to the NBA but clocked in with a 39.5-inch vertical at the 2025 NBA draft combine before getting picked 14th by San Antonio.
Initially Pistons star Jalen Duren was confirmed as a participant, which was a big get for the NBA as Duren earned his first All-Star selection as a reserve this year. However, he bowed out due to a knee injury suffered just before the ASB.
The final two contestants were revealed on February 8 in the form of Jase Richardson and Keshad Johnson. Richardson is the son of Jason Richardson, former two-time NBA dunk contest champion, and is playing out his first year in the NBA with the Magic. Johnson is a second-year forward for the Heat who has played in 21 games for Miami this season.
Who are the the 2026 slam dunk contest participants?
As has been the case with the dunk contest for a while now, casual fans may not be familiar with the players who are participating. So who, exactly, are these dunk contest participants?
Jaxson Hayes
Hayes is a rotational center for the Lakers and has been since 2023. He was drafted by the Pelicans in 2019 and spent a few years there before signing with L.A. as a free agent. This year Hayes has earned a spot in JJ Redick’s rotation, averaging 19.5 minutes per game as Deandre Ayton’s backup. His skillset as a bouncy center is an ideal match with Luka Dončić and should make for a good fit for the slam dunk contest.
Carter Bryant
In recent years the NBA has fallen into the habit of tapping the rookie class to participate in the dunk contest. Last year, for example, featured two first-year players in Stephon Castle and Matas Buzelis. Bryant, then, is the representative of the 2025 rookie class at this year’s contest. The 20-year-old forward out of Arizona boasts a great vertical, as noted above, and so far has carved out a solid role in the Spurs’ rotation; Bryant is playing slightly over 19 minutes per game for Mitch Johnson in San Antonio while averaging 6.5 points per contest.
His selection is a bit funny because Bryant has developed a reputation among his teammates for missing dunks over the course of his rookie year. In fact, De’Aaron Fox put out an ultimatum for the rookie after he declined to shave his head with Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson: if Bryant misses three more dunks, the hair is coming off. He has the perfect shot at both redemption and getting back at his teammates by signing up for the dunk contest.
Jase Richardson
More are familiar with Richardson’s father but the son is attempting to carve out his own NBA legacy this year. The Michigan State product was selected with the 25th pick by the Magic after flashing plenty of potential in his freshman year under Tom Izzo. Richardson hasn’t shown much yet in Orlando as the 20-year-old adjusts to the professional game but if he inherited his dad’s vertical then he should prove capable of putting on a show for the Los Angeles crowd at the Intuit Dome.
Keshad Johnson
Johnson is the true mystery candidate from this year’s grouping, somebody not even hardcore NBA fans know very well. He spent four years at San Diego State from 2019 to ‘23 and averaged 7.7 points per game as a senior. Then Johnson took his extra year of COVID-19 eligibility and went to Arizona, where he averaged a career-high 11.5 points for the Wildcats as they went 27–9, bowing out in the regional semifinal round of March Madness that season. He wound up going undrafted in the ‘24 NBA draft and signed with the Heat, playing with their G-League team in Sioux Falls last year. This year Johnson has played 159 minutes for Erik Spoelstra.
Due to a lack of playing time in Miami it’s hard to say how Johnson will perform in the dunk contest but he can get up, as evidenced below.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2026 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Lineup: Full List of Participants.
