It was an all-Arizona final at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, with Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson becoming the first Wildcat to win the NBA All-Star Weekend event.
Johnson defeated former Arizona forward and San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant in the final round on Saturday. The other participants were Jase Richardson (Orlando Magic) and Jaxson Hayes (Los Angeles Lakers).
Johnson will receive $105,000 for winning the dunk contest. Johnson and Bryant join Richard Jefferson, Andre Iguodala, Chase Budinger and Aaron Gordon (twice) as ex-Wildcats to participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Johnson’s highlight dunk was a cradle dunk over legendary Bay Area rapper E-40, followed by the “Dougie” dance; Johnson is a Oakland native. Johnson also lobbed the ball to himself for a reverse between-the-legs dunk. His final dunk was a running windmill slam from just inside the free-throw line.
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The undrafted Johnson is in his second season with the Heat. In 21 games for the Heat this season, Johnson averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. In the four games Johnson played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, Johnson averaged 21.8 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Johnson is the second Miami player to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, along with Derrick Jones Jr., who defeated Gordon in 2020.
Miami resumes its schedule against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports