LOS ANGELES — Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes earned a berth to the All-Star weekend’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest, the NBA announced on Saturday morning.
A little over a week ago, during the Lakers’ Grammys road trip against the Chicago Bulls, Hayes pulled off an East Bay between-the-legs dunk on a fast break to give his team a 14-point lead in the eventual away victory on Jan. 26. A few days later, the 7-foot big man accepted a the invitation to the dunk contest next Saturday at the Intuit Dome.
Now, it’s official.
Hayes, 25, will be joined by Spurs forward Carter Bryant, Heat forward Keshad Johnson and Magic guard Jace Richardson in rounding out the field. All of the contestants are first-time dunk contest participants. NBA G-League guard Mac McClung, who has become a mainstay of the dunk contest in recent seasons, winning the last three editions of the event, will not compete.
Hayes has averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game across 17.4 minutes per game. The third-year Lakers’ post has played in 41 of the team’s 50 games so far this season. He didn’t play against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday after the NBA suspended him one game without pay for pushing the Washington Wizards mascot during a pre-game altercation last week, but should be active to play against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.