2026 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest: Time, how to watch, participants and winners
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2026 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest: Time, how to watch, participants and winners
Marcus D. Smith, USA TODAYFebruary 14, 2026 at 5:05 AM
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2026 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest: Time, how to watch, participants and winners
The most anticipated event during the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend arguably is the AT&T Slam Dunk contest.
The showcase is a combination of showmanship and athletic prowess as four competitors put on a dunk-a-thon to impress judges and basketball fans in Los Angeles and around the world.
It's the finale of Saturday night events that include the State Farm 3-point shootout contest and Kia Shooting Stars.
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The Saturday showcase includes the Kia Shooting Stars, a showcase of legends teaming up in competition to knock down a host of seven different shots on the court in shortest time under 70 seconds.
The AT&T Slam Dunk contest places the winner's name amongst some of the best high-flying, showstopping players the NBA has ever seen.
Here's what you including when the slam dunk contest starts, how to watch and more:
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What time does the 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest start?
The 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk competition for NBA All-Star Saturday Night during NBA All-Star Weekend happens Feb. 14 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
The string of Saturday events will start at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) on NBC and Peacock, beginning with the Kia Shooting Stars challenge. The dunk contest is the third and final event of the day.
How to watch 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest
Here's everything you to tune into the 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
When: Saturday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) -third event
Where: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California)
TV: NBC
Streaming: Peacock
Watch the NBA AT&T Slam Dunk Contest on Peacock
2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contestants
Here are the participants competing in the slam dunk contest:
Carter Bryant, San Antonio Spurs
Jaxson Hayes, Los Angeles Lakers
Keshad Johnson, Miami Heat
Jase Richardson, Orlando Magic
What to know about the participants going into the event
This current group of participants are competing in the NBA slam dunk contest for the first time in the careers.
The dunk contest includes two rookies with Carter Bryant, the 14th overall by San Antonio in the 2025 NBA Draft, and Jase Richardson, who was selected 25th overall by the Orlando Magic. Richardson is also the son Jason Richardson, a former back-to-back slam dunk champion who won in 2002 and 2003.
Bryant stands a 6-foot-6, while Richardson the shortest competitor, stands at 6-foot-1. Keshad Johnson is a forward in his second NBA season. He toggled between the Miami Heat and its G-League affiliate the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
The competition's tallest participant is Lakers 7-foot center Jaxson Hayes.
2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Judges
Here are the five judges for this year's slam dunk contest presented by AT&T.
Brent Barry, 1996 NBA Slam Dunk champion
Dwight Howard, 2008 NBA Slam Dunk champion
Nate Robinson, 3x NBA Slam Dunk champion (2006, 2009, 2010)
Dominique Wilkins, 2x NBA Slam Dunk champion (1985, 1990)
The fifth judge will be decided by fans via a vote using NBA ID Members. Fans will decide the fifth and final judge who will score dunks from 40 to 50 points. Potential judges include content creators Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews, actor and comedian Druski, or co-founder of Dude Perfect Tyler Toney.
One of the three will represent the fan vote as a judge. The NBA ID Member Rep will score each dunk as the average of all scores submitted by the NBA ID members for the dunk. NBA ID Members can submit their scores via the NBA App or NBA.com.
2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest Rules
The rules to dunk contest are simple. Four dunkers. Two rounds. Two dunks per round. The two highest scores advance.
Each dunk is scored either a 40 or 50 by the five judges.
Each player has 90 seconds and three maximum attempts to complete the dunk. If time expires before completing a dunk, the contestant will get one final attempt. Missed dunks result in a 40-point score.
An attempt is defined as the player controlling the basketball while airborne and moving it toward the rim. Not to be confused with a try, which is an action taken by the player, other than dribbling or running, in an effort to attempt a dunk. For example, a player tossing the ball to himself, or a player becoming airborne whether controlling the basketball or not.
There will be a referee to judge whether a player has made an attempt or try and whether a dunk is considered a made dunk or a missed dunk.
Once a dunk is made, it's the next person's turn. Made dunks cannot be “replaced,” even if the dunker has remaining attempts.
Players using any props or other people have to be preapproved, prior to competition to the NBA Basketball Operations Department.
Like the three-point shootout, instant replay can be used at the discretion of the referee for rules compliance.
How to determine a dunk champion
In the first round, the order of competition for the first dunk is decided by NBA Basketball operations Department.
The second dunk of the first round is decided by points from the first dunk. The person with the least points from the first dunk attempt will go first for the second dunk. Whoever had the most points on their first dunk will go last on dunk No. 2.
The two with the highest scores from the first two dunks in the first round will advance to the championship round.
In the event of a tie to determine the top-two finishers, the five judges will select an "advancing dunker". The dunker with the most votes to advance will go on to the final round.
In the final round, the dunker with the lower score from the first round will make his attempt first. The order of the second dunk is determined by the score of the first dunk in the final round. The player with the lowest score on their first dunk in the final round will go first for their second dunk in the final round.
The person with the highest points wins. If there is a tie, the competitors will face-off in a one-dunk dunk-off to be crowned champ. Each dunker has one attempt during the Dunk-Off.
If there's still a tie after a dunk-off then the champion will be determined by "Judges' Choice" and each judge would be asked to choose a winner. Best of five selections wins.
NBA Slam Dunk Contest History
The first ever slam dunk contest was held on January 27, 1976, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver during halftime of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, the league's final All-Star game before the completion of the ABA–NBA merger. Julius "Dr. J" Erving would be crowned champion and changing All-Star weekend as we know it.
The event returned the followed the next season as former ABA player Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman was named the winner in 1977. As the NBA and ABA would merge leagues, there wouldn't be another dunk contest until 1984.
Here are all of the winners from previous NBA slam dunk competitions:
Larry Nance, Phoenix Suns, 1984
Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks, 1985
Spud Webb, Atlanta Hawks, 1986
Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, 1987
Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, 1988
Kenny Walker, New York Knicks, 1989
Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks, 1990
Dee Brown, Boston Celtics, 1991
Cedric Ceballos, Phoenix Suns, 1992
Harold Miner, Miami Heat, 1993
Isiah Rider, Minnesota Timberwolves, 1994
Harold Miner, Miami Heat, 1995
Brent Barry, Los Angeles Clippers, 1996
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, 1997
Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors, 2000
Desmond Mason, Seattle Supersonics, 2001
Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors, 2002
Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors, 2003
Fred Jones, Indiana Pacers, 2004
Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks, 2005
Nate Robinson, New York Knicks, 2006
Gerald Green, Boston Celtics, 2007
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic, 2008
Nate Robinson, New York Knicks, 2009
Nate Robinson, New York Knicks, 2010
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers, 2011
Jeremy Evans, Utah Jazz, 2012
Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors, 2013
John Wall, Washington Wizards, 2014
Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves, 2015
Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves, 2016
Glenn Robinson III, Indiana Pacers, 2017
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz, 2018
Hamidou Diallo, Oklahoma City Thunder, 2019
Derrick Jones Jr., Miami Heat, 2020
Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers, 2021
Obi Toppin, New York Knicks, 2022
Mac McClung, Philadelphia 76ers, 2023
Mac McClung, Philadelphia 76ers, 2024
Mac McClung, Philadelphia 76ers, 2025
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest: how to watch, participants
Source: “AOL Sports”
