2026 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Competition Preview and Prediction
The 2025/26 NBA campaign has reached its All-Star break with the emerging Detroit Pistons (40-13) and defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (42-13) firmly ensconced as the top teams in the Eastern and Western Conference. This year’s All-Star game and supporting festivities will take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
One of the weekend’s annual signature events is the slam dunk contest, which evokes the names of Webb, Jordan, Wilkins, Miner, Carter, Howard, and recent three-time champion Mac McLung. The contest now typically involves lesser-known names, but as McLung, who’s spent considerably more time in the G-League than the NBA, can attest, none of that matters when it comes to the slam dunk contest itself.
Don’t forget to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of NBA game odds, NBA futures and NBA specials and props.
2026 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Competition Odds and Betting Trends
With McLung, the former Georgetown and Texas Tech standout, opting out of this year’s competition, four new competitors get the chance to become champions and enter the national consciousness, even just for a weekend. There are only four contestants and two rounds of competition. The four players are all currently reserves on their NBA teams.
Carter Bryant is a rookie wing averaging 3.4 points per game in 43 appearances with the fast-rising San Antonio Spurs (+190). Jaxson Hayes (+250) is a seventh-year backup centre with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds while posting 72 dunks in just 745 minutes of play. Keshad Johnson (+325) is buried deep on the Miami Heat depth chart, and rookie Jase Richardson (+350) is averaging 5.1 points per game as a rookie with the Orlando Magic.
Carter Bryant (+190)
Bryant exemplifies the current collegiate path to the NBA. He was selected 14th overall in the 2025 NBA draft despite averaging just 6.5 points as a freshman at the University of Arizona. He joined fellow first round pick Dylan Harper with the Spurs, who produced the last two Rookies of the Year in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.
Neither Bryant nor Harper will continue that streak, but Bryant could bring some hardware home as the franchise, which currently sits second in the West, returns to former glory. The 6-foot-6 Bryant has a 39.5-inch vertical leap and has already exhibited his explosive athleticism in short spurts for San Antonio.
Keshad Johnson (+325)
Johnson sees minimal minutes with the Heat, but he is the perfect specimen for the slam dunk contest. The 6-foot-6 forward has the best vertical leap, at 42 inches, of the four competitors in the contest.
Although he never scored at a high level, he was known for impressive dunks during his time at both San Diego State and Arizona. Saturday night’s competition is the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his wares.
2026 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Competition: Who Will Win?
I’m eschewing the trio of favourites, which includes Bryant, Johnson, and Hayes, the Lakers’ obscure 7-footer, and instead siding with proper bloodlines.
Richardson, the 25th pick out of Michigan State last June by the Magic, is following directly in the footsteps of his father, Jason, who won this contest twice, in 2002 and 2003, as a member of the Golden State Warriors.
The athletic, 6-foot-1 guard could break out some throwbacks, with the potential appearance of his father, the kind of move that is always rewarded by both the fans and the judges.