BUILDING A LEGACY:
The Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard won a historic fourth Three-Point Contest title, matching the records held by Larry Bird and Craig Hodges

AP, INGLEWOOD, California

The Miami Heat’s Keshad Johnson on Saturday won the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, overcoming perfect scores by San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant on his first dunk in the final round.

For his final dunk, Johnson started behind the judges’ table, took off from the free-throw line and threw down a one-handed windmill jam. His first dunk earned a slightly higher score for a between-the-legs move.

Bryant earned the contest’s highest score for his first dunk in the final. He bounced the ball in front of him, caught it between his legs and dunked with his right hand, earning perfect 50 marks from all five judges.

Photo: AP

However, Bryant struggled on his second dunk. He missed his first two tries, pausing to talk to Vince Carter in between. He attempted bouncing the ball off the glass and throwing down a reverse, but it rolled around the rim and out. He settled for a less flashy, but successful, dunk on his third and final attempt.

It was not enough, giving the NBA a new slam dunk champion in Johnson. He accepted the trophy from Hall of Famer Julius Erving after shaking hands with all of the judges.

“All the kids out there, keep dreaming, anything can happen,” Johnson said. “I just came out here and showed people.”

Photo: AFP

If there had been a dance contest, Johnson would have won that, too. He came dancing onto the court, smiling all the way, and danced after claiming the title.

Three-time dunk winner Mac McClung — currently on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls — did not participate. He was the only competitor in history to have a perfect contest, scoring 50s from every judge on all of his dunks last year in San Francisco.

In the first round, Johnson brought out rapper E-40. After missing on his first try, he leapt over E-40’s bowed head and slammed the ball down while keeping his left hand behind his head.

Judging the contest were Erving, fellow Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, Dwight Howard, Corey Maggette and Brent Barry.

Meanwhile, Damian Lillard, out all season while recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon, matched a record by winning his third career NBA Three-Point Contest.

Having received special approval from the league to participate, the 35-year-old Portland Trail Blazers guard beat the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker 29-27 in the final. Booker was the champion in 2018.

“In a season where I’m not participating, the league allowing me to come in and do something like this to get some competition, feel a little bit of pressure, to get in front of the fans again, it was a great experience,” Lillard said.

Showing the same solid form that made him one of the NBA’s top long-distance shooting threats, Lillard added the 2026 Three-Point crown to his 2023 and 2024 triumphs to match the event win record shared by Larry Bird and Craig Hodges.

“That’s all I do it for, to keep adding to my legacy, adding to my reputation and being who I am,” Lillard said. “I was given the opportunity and I came out and took advantage of it.”

In other NBA All-Star Saturday festivities, the Shooting Stars competition went to Team Knicks, consisting of New York’s Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and former Knicks star Allan Houston.

Additional reporting by AFP