Feb. 15, 2026, 3:04 p.m. ET
Orlando Magic rookie guard Jase Richardson said that he is OK after taking a fall in the 2026 NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday in Inglewood, California.
Richardson opened the first round by throwing down a two-handed reverse off a self-pass with ease, earning a score of 45.4 from the panel of judges. He ran into trouble on his second attempt, which created a scary moment at the Intuit Dome.
The 25th overall pick attempted to complete a 360-degree dunk after catching the ball off the side of the backboard. But he appeared to catch the ball too close to the backboard and was sent crashing to the court, hitting his head on the floor.
“I’m good,” Richardson said afterward. “I tried to go do a little 360 off the side of the glass, (but) my arm got caught on the side of the backboard. You win some, you lose some.”
Richardson was forced to scrap that idea and go with a backup dunk, with about 30 seconds remaining on the clock. He settled with a 360-degree dunk that received a score of 43.4, bringing his total to 88.8 points, which wasn’t enough to advance to the final round.
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The 6-foot-1 Richardson appeared to take the now-infamous moment in jest, poking fun at himself on social media after the competition. He also received support from rookie teammate Noah Penda, who joked he could never dunk like Richardson.
Richardson took the court dubbed by NBC as “J-Rich Reignited” as a tribute to his father, former 13-year veteran Jason Richardson, who won in 2002 and 2003. Though he came up short, he was grateful for the chance to suit up for the event.
“I just wanted to do the contest and try to make it my own thing, instead of everything having to do with my father,” Richardson said. “I just wanted to come out here and have a good time. I did, and that’s all that matters.”