The NBA All-Star Saturday night in Inglewood, California, once again delivered its signature blend of spectacle, athleticism, and drama, as the league’s brightest young talents took center stage at the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest. The Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers and a sparkling new jewel in the city’s sports scene, was packed with fans eager to see who would seize the moment and etch their name into NBA All-Star lore.
This year’s Slam Dunk Contest promised a changing of the guard. With three-time champion Mac McClung—who electrified the event since 2023—sitting out, the field was wide open for a new face to claim the throne. Four first-time contestants lined up to dazzle the judges and crowd: Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs, Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers, Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat, and Jase Richardson of the Orlando Magic. Each brought their own story and style, but only one would walk away with the hardware.
After two rounds of high-flying action, it was Miami’s Keshad Johnson who emerged victorious, capturing the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest title in his first attempt. Johnson, who has logged just over 257 minutes in NBA action—most of it with the Heat and their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce—seized his moment in the spotlight. His final round score of 97.4 points was enough to top Spurs rookie Carter Bryant, who finished with 93.0 points despite some electrifying slams of his own.
Johnson’s performance was a mix of power, creativity, and showmanship. The highlight of the night came when he lobbed the ball to himself from the right baseline, soared through the air, and threw down a between-the-legs dunk that nearly saw him hit his head on the backboard. The judges—NBA legends Dominique Wilkins, Dwight Howard, Corey Maggette, Brent Barry, and Julius Erving—rewarded him with a near-perfect 49.6, the highest single-dunk score of the contest. Johnson’s exuberant celebration, complete with a little dance, brought the crowd to its feet.
“He went back to the dunk he had been trying late in the first round, doing a lobbed dunk underneath the basket that he also looped between his legs. The judges were impressed, giving him a near-perfect score of 49.6, the highest of the night thus far,” reported USA TODAY Sports.
Not to be outdone, Carter Bryant had his own moment of brilliance, tossing a lob to himself from the top of the key and slamming it home after putting the ball between his legs. The judges gave him a perfect 50, and the crowd responded with a roar. Bryant, a first-round draft pick by the Spurs in June, has averaged 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in his rookie season but showed on Saturday that he’s got plenty of flair for the dramatic. Earlier in the week, he posted a career-high 16 points in a win over the Lakers, and his performance in the dunk contest only added to his growing reputation.
The contest wasn’t without its tense moments. Jase Richardson, son of two-time Slam Dunk Contest winner Jason Richardson, tried to channel his father’s legacy but suffered a scary fall during an attempt. He got up, shook it off, and finished with a two-handed 360 slam, earning the respect of both fans and fellow competitors. Jaxson Hayes, now in his third season with the Lakers and seventh overall in the NBA, impressed with his athleticism but ultimately fell short of the final round. Hayes, who has become a key backup for the Lakers since Anthony Davis’ departure, even brought rapper E-40 out of the tunnel for some added flair.
The judges, a who’s-who of dunk contest royalty, brought credibility and a sense of history to the proceedings. Brent Barry, the first Clipper ever to win the Slam Dunk Contest back in 1996, returned to the Intuit Dome as a judge, while Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins lent their Hall of Fame gravitas to the panel. Their scoring system—averaging five judges’ marks per dunk, with each score ranging from 40 to 50—ensured a fair and dramatic finish.
The format remained true to tradition: two rounds, with each contestant allotted 90 seconds and a maximum of three attempts per dunk. The two highest scorers in the first round advanced to the finals, where the title would be decided by one last display of aerial artistry. If a tiebreaker was needed, a one-dunk dunk-off would settle the matter. This year, the drama played out right to the final attempts, with Johnson and Bryant trading spectacular slams before Johnson’s consistency and flair sealed his win.
Elsewhere in the evening’s festivities, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard made a triumphant return from injury to capture his third career 3-Point Contest title. Lillard scored 56 points across two rounds, including a sizzling final round of 29, joining legends Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players to win the event three times. “That’s all I do it for, to keep adding to my legacy,” Lillard told reporters after his victory.
The Shooting Stars event, making its return to All-Star Saturday, was claimed by Team Knicks—Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and retired Knick Allan Houston—who posted a final score of 47 points. The event featured a mix of current stars and NBA legends, with teams shooting from various spots on the court and a designated passer adding a wrinkle to the competition.
As the All-Star Weekend rolled on, anticipation built for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, set to tip off at 5 p.m. ET at the Intuit Dome. With the U.S. facing the World in a new round-robin format, fans were left to wonder: could the excitement of Saturday night’s contests carry over to the big game?
For Keshad Johnson, the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest was more than just a highlight—it was a career-defining moment. Whether this victory marks the beginning of a new All-Star legacy or stands as a singular flash of brilliance remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure: on a night when the NBA’s future took flight, Johnson soared the highest.