Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat won the 2026 NBA Dunk Contest.
The young undrafted prospect out of Arizona took home the hardware on just a few days’ notice. Following the event, he revealed just how much time he had to prepare for his big moment.
"Five days’ notice! Maybe even four," Johnson told NBA legend Vince Carter.
"The position I'm in, they sent me down to the G League, right before they sent me down to the G League, they told me that I got the invite that night before. I got a little banged up in the G League game-I had two back-to-backs in the G League-then I really only had two days to practice."
Weeks before the dunk contest took place in California, rumors suggested that the contest would include the one-time All-Star, Jalen Duren. When the official player pool was announced, the veteran center was excluded. At the time, Duren was dealing with a minor setback, which caused an absence against the New York Knicks.
Johnson ended up joining Carter Bryant, Jaxson Hayes, and Jase Richardson for the event.
The Heat forward ran away with his first dunk score, posting 47.5. The closest player was Carter Bryant, who had a 45.6. Bryant bounced back with a 49.2 with his second dunk, while Jaxson Hayes placed second with 47.2. Johnson came third, but managed to have a strong enough score to make it out of the first round with a 92.8.
The final two dunks belonged to Bryant and Johnson. Dunk 3 was a tight battle, as Johnson posted a 49.6, while Bryant went for the only 50 of the night. Fortunately for Johnson, Bryant followed his third dunk with the lowest score of the night, going for 43.
Johnson's final dunk landed a score of 47.8. He earned himself a convincing victory with a score of 97.4 to win the dunk contest. He became the second Heat player in a row to win an All-Star Weekend contest, following Tyler Herro.
With Johnson's victory, the Heat have now tied the Atlanta Hawks for the second-most wins in Slam Dunk history with four. The New York Knicks are still the leaders with five total.
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