After it was announced earlier this week that Magic rookie Jase Richardson would be one of four players competing in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, the young Orlando guard took to social media to share his reaction.

“I guess,” Richardson wrote on X alongside a laughing emoji and a shrug emoji.

The 20-year-old, however, didn’t mean to give off the impression that he wasn’t excited about the opportunity to take part in a highlight event of All-Star Weekend at Inuit Dome in in Inglewood, Calif., outside of Los Angeles, on Saturday, or that he won’t try to win the competition.

“A lot of people don’t think I’m going to try because of what I tweeted, but I’m not going to do something I’m not going to compete in,” Richardson said this week in the locker room. “I’m always going to try to go win something. Don’t know if it is going to happen, but I’m still going to try to compete.

“But I feel like I’ve got some stuff,” he added.

That “stuff” could come from his father, Jason Richardson, who won the event twice with the Warriors (2002 and ’03). But even his own father was surprised he was picked for the contest.

That’s because Richardson hasn’t developed a reputation of himself to be a living highlight reel throughout the first 52 games of his rookie campaign. Entering Wednesday’s game against the Bucks, Orlando’s last before the league break, Richardson had only dunked four times in 38 appearances, according to basketball-reference.com.

“I think, for me, it kind of came as a shock because I feel like I’d be the last person people would expect to be in it, but I always grew up watching it,” he said this week. “Obviously, one of the most fun things to do during All-Star and I always used to pretend, so I was like, ‘Why not?’

“So, I put my name in there, and they said they wanted me to do it, so I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it,’” he added.

The dunk contest will take place Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Richardson will compete against Carter Bryant (Spurs), Jaxson Hayes (Lakers) and Keshad Johnson (Heat), who like himself, are all first-timers in the event.

Hall of Famers Dominique Wilkins (who won the dunk contest in 1985 and ’90) and Dwight Howard (2008) headline the former players who will serve as judges and they’ll be joined by three-time contest winner Nate Robinson (’06, ’09, ’10) and Brent Barry (1996), the league said.

Howard is one of two former Magic players who have won the event. Former Orlando guard Mac McClung, who recently signed a two-way contract with the Bulls, became the first three-peat winner of the dunk contest, capturing the title twice the past two years with the Magic and once with the Sixers.

Fellow rookie Noah Penda, who’s dunked 11 times across 37 games this season, didn’t have much advice to offer Richardson.

“If I have any advice on how to dunk, … not at all,” the French forward said with a grin on his face. “That’s really not my stuff. He’s a way better dunker than me. I don’t think there’s advice. I said, ‘Just go enjoy and I’m going to be there to cheer for you.’ That’s it.”

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley also had a smile on his face when talking about Richardson entering the event.

“I really think it is great for him,” Mosley said. “His dad did it for years. I think just being able to carry that on … He’s been in the gym working on some stuff lately so it’s fun to watch, fun to see. His teammates (are) rallying behind him doing it.

“That’s really big time for him,” the Magic coach added.

While the rest of the Orlando locker room will take some time off during the week-long break to prepare for the final stretch of the regular season, Richardson will be out west aiming to live up to the dunk contest legacy of his father.

“I don’t know if I have the same amount of stuff he had,” the young Richardson said about his dad. “But he just told me to go out there and have fun. I think that was the biggest thing.

“I’m at All-Star break doing something that not a lot of people say they can do.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

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When: 10 p.m., Feb. 19, Golden 1 Center

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