Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes will participate in the NBA Slam-Dunk contest.
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Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes will participate in the NBA Slam-Dunk contest.
The NBA Slam-Dunk Contest is set for Saturday night, February 14 in Los Angeles, and the field has not exactly drawn a wave of excitement from fans of the league. We’re a long way removed from the days of top-line stars like Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins battling for dunk supremacy.
We’re even a long way from the likes of Dwight Howard battling Nate Robinson, or Aaron Gordon vs. Zach LaVine.
There are a few reasons for that. One is that the contest has been going on for four decades and in that time, just about ever dunk imaginable has been tried. There is, often, a sense that there is just no new ground to cover in the dunk contest, and players do not want to put their reputations on the line for just a “meh” showing.
And reputation is another big part of sitting out of the dunk contest. At this point, players are more concerned about the damage they could do to their Q score with a poor rating than they are with the limited advantage that comes from winning the contest.
Jase Richardson Brings a Big Name to NBA Slam-Dunk Contest
So we have four NBA players in this year’s Slam-Dunk Contest who are mostly unknown. But a win here could mean a major pay bump for them, helping boost their status within the league as well as netting a $105,000 check. The runner up, for what it’s worth, gets $55,000.
And there is a participant with a bit of an advantage–Jase Richardson, whose father, Jason Richardson, was a two-time dunk champ during his NBA career. That might be as close as we get to name recognition in this contest.
“He’s listening to me. It’s like the first time in 20 years he’s actually listening to what I had to say when it comes to basketball,” Jason Richardson told NBC Sports. “So it’s actually pretty cool that he is asking me questions, coming up with a game plan.”
Contestants’ 2025-26 Salaries
Here’s what the contestants in the contest are earning on their current contracts for the 2025-26 season.
Carter Bryant, Spurs: $4.9 million. Bryant was the 14th pick in the 2025 draft out of Arizona, and though he does not play much (9.3 minutes per game), he has the richest paycheck of all the contestants. Bryant signed a four-year, $23.4 million rookie scale deal after the draft, and the first two seasons (he has $5.1 million on the books next year) are guaranteed. The Spurs have options on his contract in 2027-28 ($5.4 million) and 2028-29 ($7.9 million).
Jaxson Hayes, Lakers: $3.449 million. Hayes is in his seventh NBA season, and while he is a useful player, he still warrants a minimum salary. He was on a two-year contract (the second year was an option) with the Lakers before this season, on which he earned $4.6 million. Before that, Hayes had been on a four-year, $22.1 million contract with the Pelicans, who drafted him No. 8 in 2019. In all, Hayes has made about $30 million in the NBA.
Jase Richardson, Magic. $2.983 million. Richardson was the No. 25 overall pick in 2025 and is on his four-year rookie deal, which is worth $15.3 million. The first two years of that are guaranteed ($3.1 million next year) but 2027-28 ($3.3 million) and 2028-29 ($5.9 million) are at team options.
Keshad Johnson, Heat. $1.955 million. Johnson signed with the Heat last year as a two-way player, but had his contract converted to a standard deal in December of 2024. That deal included a team option for $1.955 million, which the Heat picked up for this year. Johnson is averaging just 7.6 minutes in 21 games.