The 2026 NBA Slam Dunk Contest came and went early Saturday evening before many had a chance to notice.
That’s partly due to the odd early start brought on by NBC’s Winter Olympics broadcasts. But, it’s also largely in part to the Dunk Contest losing its juice over recent years. Mac McClung gave the event a bit of a renaissance over recent years, but he didn’t participate this year after winning three times in a row.
This year’s underwhelming field included Spurs rookie Carter Bryant, Heat second-year forward Keshad Johnson, Magic rookie Jase Richardson and Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes. The four dunkers put forth a valiant effort, but fans couldn’t expect the group to magically turn around the crumbling event.
NBA stars have largely chosen against participating in the Dunk Contest over the past decade due to the risk of injury and a potential fear of failure in the social media era where any lowlight would hit the internet in a matter of seconds. McClung’s presence could have kept significant players out of the event in recent years, but with no potential fear of losing to a G Leaguer this year, the Dunk Contest’s previous aura remained missing.
With another forgettable year of the Dunk Contest in the rearview, let’s look at some ways the league can fix its signature All-Star Saturday event:
Get NBA stars to participate
The most obvious way to fix the Dunk Contest is to add some star power. McClung gave the event some juice over the past few years with his high-flying dunks, but he’s spent the majority of his professional career in the NBA G League. Not exactly the star the league needs, but as one of the best dunkers in the game, fans were able to look past the absence of NBA stars.
Pistons All-Star big man Jalen Duren reportedly accepted an invite to participate this year, but he ultimately did not compete due to a knee injury suffered just before the All-Star break. Duren was initially a big get for the NBA as a first-time All-Star. He’s currently tied for the second-most dunks this season across the NBA.
That left the league with the field of Johnson, Bryant, Hayes and Richardson. Richardson has dunked just four times in NBA action this season, while Bryant and the new champion Johnson have nine apiece. Hayes has 80 dunks this season, but he mostly comes off the bench for the Lakers, leaving the league with a suboptimal field.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown fell to McClung in the 2024 edition. Beyond that, you have to go back to Donovan Mitchell’s win in ’18 and Zach LaVine’s back-to-back titles in ’15 and ’16. Giannis Antetokounmpo even competed in his second year with the Bucks before he reached stardom. Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, Amar’e Stoudemire, Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin and Paul George all participated this century, but times have changed since the golden years of the Dunk Contest.
The league’s stars have long balked at the idea of the Dunk Contest. Anthony Edwards turned down an invite in his rookie year, while Zion Williamson said he’d participate in the Dunk Contest in 2024 if he was selected as an All-Star, which didn’t work out. On the bright side, first-time All-Star and Hawks breakout wing Jalen Johnson said he’d be in the Dunk Contest one day.
Just like never-ending debate and criticism surrounding the All-Star Game, the Dunk Contest can be saved by true participation from the league’s brightest stars and best dunkers. The question is, how will the NBA get its stars to buy in? We may need some public callouts or serious dough on the table.
Take a page out of the NBA Cup’s book and put serious prize money on the table
According to The Sporting News, the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement calls for the Slam Dunk Contest champion to earn $105,000. Second place takes home $55,000 and the third- and fourth-place contestants get $20,000 apiece for their troubles.
Johnson’s contract with the Heat pays him $1.9 million this season, which means a nice chunk of change for the second-year forward. But that doesn’t move the needle for the NBA’s highest-paid and best players.
In the NBA Cup, the league’s in-season tournament, each member of the Knicks won $530,933 for coming out on top. Sure, that’s not a huge payday for Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, who are making $34.9 million and $53.1 million this season, respectively. But the NBA has seen strong competition over the first three years of its in-season tournament. Maybe with upping the ante for the Dunk Contest in similar fashion, the event could attract some higher-tier players and gain some momentum in the process.
Make the NBA Slam Dunk Contest a team event
A team aspect to the Dunk Contest could go numerous ways. Select NBA teams could send multiple players in an effort to secure bragging rights on which squad possesses the best dunkers. But, the event has lost its juice on an individual basis which leaves a need for higher stakes in a potential team competition.
More prize money available for end-of-bench players would help, but how about some stakes that impact the NBA at large? The NBA and commissioner Adam Silver are reportedly discussing a tournament among lottery teams to determine draft order and disincentivize tanking.
What if the NBA put some extra ping-pong balls on the table for a lottery team whose player wins the Dunk Contest? That would take a lot of convincing, which certain teams would undoubtedly oppose, but the NBA could send representatives from the bottom teams at the All-Star break to compete for slightly higher lottery odds in the upcoming draft.
That’s a trivial way of impacting a franchise’s future, but there could be a middle ground of league-wide stakes put forth to revive All-Star Saturday.
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