Most recently, the NBA announced the full list of players competing in this year's Dunk Contest. The names include Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers, Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs, Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat, and Jase Richardson of the Orlando Magic. NBA All-Star Weekend, NBA Dunk Contest participants, NBA Dunk contest winners, Mac Clung Dunk Contest
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The NBA has announced the full list of participants for the 2026 All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest which won't include 3-time winner Mac McClung.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend is right around the corner, and while the Dunk Contest used to be one of the highlight events of the weekend, and while it hasn’t carried as much juice recently compared to years past, the list of participants could provide for an exciting Saturday night.
Most recently, the NBA announced the full list of players competing in this year’s Dunk Contest. The names include Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers, Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs, Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat, and Jase Richardson of the Orlando Magic.
ClutchPoints
All participants are confirmed for the 2026 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest!
🔥 Carter Bryant 🔥 Jaxson Hayes 🔥 Keshad Johnson 🔥 Jase Richardson
Who ya got? 🤔
(via @NBAPR)
Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons had previously committed to the Dunk Contest, but according to the new list given by the league, he will no longer be a participant, but will still be in the All-Star Game, as he was given the first nod of his career as a reserve out of the Eastern Conference.
Three-time winner Mac McClungwas previously set to compete in the event once again, butrecently, he announced that he wouldn’t participate in the Dunk Contest, despite now on an NBA roster, currently with the Chicago Bulls.
NBA Dunk Contest Participants
Hayes of the Lakers was the first name revealed that would participate in the Dunk Contest. While he has been a consistent backup big man for Los Angeles over the past few years, Hayes has a strong history of meetings with the rim, dating back to his lone season at the University of Texas.
Bryant from San Antonio was the other name initially confirmed to be participating in the event.In his rookie season with the Spurs, Bryant hasonly averaged 8.6 minutes in 40 games, but like Hayes, he has a history dating back to college,and even high school,of throwing down vicious dunks. At the 2025 NBA Combine, he recorded a 39.5-inch vertical leap, one of the highest in this year’s class of rookies.
Johnson is a name NBA fans might not be too familiar with.In his second season, Johnson also attended the University of Arizona like Bryant, andwhile going undrafted,he’s only appeared in 37 career games.
Finally, Richardson is the final participant in the Dunk Contest.His father, former NBA player Jason Richardson, won the event twiceback in 2002 and 2003, becoming the first player to winthe event twice in a row since Michael Jordan accomplished the feat in 1987 and 1988. The younger Richardson had a standout freshman season at Michigan State and is putting up 5.1 points in 36 games for the Magic in his rookie season.
As mentioned, Duren had previously accepted the invitation for this year’s Dunk Contest, but after the NBA published the final list of participants, hewas not included. Instead, he will join teammate Cade Cunningham and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff in the All-Star Game on Sunday night.
Mac McClung Not Participating In Dunk Contest
Outside of the legendary 2016 Dunk Contestthat featured a fierce battle between Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine, the event hasn’t garnered as much attentioncompared to its peak in the late 1980s.
However, that changed when McClung accepted his first invite in 2023. Despite being just 6’2″, McClung put on a show in his first appearance in the event, winning the competition over Trey Murphy, highlighted by a 360-degree dunk jumping over two people.
Though he spent most of his time in the G-League, McClung received ten-day NBA contracts after the next two trade deadlines,and was able to compete in the event in 2024 and 2025, and both times he won the Dunk Contest once again.
There was an expectation that the dunking phenomenon would compete in the event once again this year, and though he said he was initially ‘thinking about it,’ the 27-year-old turned down the opportunity to compete for a fourth year in a row.
Yet still, he is the only playerto ever win the Dunk Contest three years in a row, and is tied with Nate Robinson for the most wins in the event, with three each.
Now, a new Dunk Contest champion will be crowned,between Hayes, Bryant, Johnson, and Richardson,when the event is held on February 14th at All-Star Weekend at the Inuit Dome in Los Angeles, home of the Clippers.