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Judging the contest were Hall of Famers Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins, Dwight Howard, Corey Maggette and Brent Barry
Published Feb 15, 2026 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 2 minute read
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Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat dunks during the Slam Dunk Contest during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on Feb. 14, 2026 in Inglewood, Calif. Photo by Ronald Martinez /Getty ImagesArticle content
Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson won the NBA Slam Dunk contest on Saturday, overcoming perfect scores by San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant.
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Taking place during NBA All-Star Saturday, the contest saw Johnson start behind the judges’ table, then take off from the free throw line and throw a one-handed windmill jam. Johnson’s first dunk earned him a slightly higher score for a between-the-legs move.
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Bryant’s first dunk earned the highest score in the final. The rookie bounced the ball in front of him, caught it between his legs and dunked with his right hand, garnering him perfect 50.00 marks from the entire five-judge panel.
Bryant struggled more during his second dunk, missing his first two tries and pausing to talk to Vince Carter. When he resumed, Bryant bounced the ball off the glass and threw down a reverse, but the ball rolled around the rim and out.
He landed a successful, yet less flashy, third dunk. It wasn’t enough to beat Johnson, who received the trophy from basketball hall of famer Julius Erving.
“All the kids out there, keep dreaming, anything can happen,” Johnson said, per The Associated Press. “I just came out here and showed people.”
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For the fifth consecutive year, the contest was a four-man field, with Jaxson Hayes of the Lakers and Jase Richardson of Orlando joining Johnson and Bryant.
Hayes and Richardson didn’t advance to the final.
Judging the contest were Hall of Famers Erving and Dominique Wilkins, Dwight Howard, Corey Maggette and Brent Barry.
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Three-point contest
While Damian Lillard isn’t playing this season, he still scored big anyway by winning the three-point contest over Devin Booker.
Lillard won his third title, tying Larry Bird and Craig Hodges, the most in the contest’s history.
Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro was the defending champion. He did not compete.
Lillard scored 30 points in the final round, edging Booker (who was chamoion in 2018), who got hot early but finished with 27.
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Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel finished third with 17 points.
Booker was the top scorer after the first round with 30 points. Knueppel and Lillard were tied for second with 27 apiece.
Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Maxey, Norman Powell, Jamal Murray and Bobby Portis Jr., were eliminated in the first round.
Shooting stars
Karl-Anthony Towns, Allan Houston and Jalen Brunson of Team Knicks won the Shooting Stars trophy with 47 points.
Team Knicks rallied in the final seconds to beat Team Cameron’s Knueppel, Jalen Johnson and Maggette, who finished with 38 points.
Team Harper, consisting of Ron Harper Jr., Dylan Harper and Ron Harper, along with Team All-Star’s Richard Hamilton, Chet Holmgren and Scottie Barnes, were eliminated after the first round.
Teams had 70 seconds to score points while rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court, with all three players on a team shooting at each spot in a set order.
– With files from The Associated Press
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