During the Los Angeles Lakers' recent win over the Chicago Bulls on the road, the highlight of the night belonged to big man Jaxson Hayes, who went between the legs for an Eastbay dunk, electrifying the United Center crowd. Hayes has long been known as an elite athlete for a big man, but even the most optimistic Lakers fans were stunned by the feat.
Now, possibly as a result of this epic display, NBA fans got some news regarding Hayes' participation at the upcoming All-Star weekend.
“Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes and San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant have accepted invitations to the 2026 NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star weekend in L.A., sources tell ESPN,” reported ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania on X, formerly Twitter.
Article Continues Below
The All-Star weekend will take place in Los Angeles this year, but it will be at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, which is the home of the Los Angeles Clippers, as opposed to the Lakers' home, the Crypto.com Arena in downtown.
Meanwhile, the league's selection of Hayes and Bryant will not do much to help fend off accusations of the dunk contest's decrease in popularity in recent years, with fans lamenting the fact that big-name players no longer participate in the event.
While Hayes plays for the Lakers, he likely isn't the kind of candidate fans were hoping to see in the event this year. However, if he can pull off something as impressive as Monday's Eastbay dunk in Chicago, he may be able to change some people's minds.