Magic rookie Jase Richardson fell short of accomplishing his goal of winning the Slam Dunk Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend on Saturday night, but the 20-year-old guard has no regrets participating in the highlight event.
Richardson, who competed against fellow dunk contest first-timers Carter Bryant (Spurs), Jaxson Hayes (Lakers) and Keshad Johnson (Heat), was unable to advance out of the event’s first round at Inuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., outside of Los Angeles.
“I just wanted to come out here, have a good time — I did,” Richardson said after the competition. “That’s all that matters.”
Richardson’s first dunk featured a toss of the ball that turned into a self alley-oop and led to a two-handed reverse slam that received a score of 45.5 from the judges.
It was during his second dunk when things took a turn for the worse.
Richardson attempted to catch a ball thrown off the side the backboard and finish it off with a 360-degree dunk, but instead, he took a hard fall, hitting his head on the floor.
“I’m good,” he said when asked how he felt after the fall. “I tried to go do a little 360 off the side of the glass, (but) my arm got caught on the side of the backboard.”
Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG
Magic rookie Jase Richardson falls during his second dunk attempt during the Slam Dunk Contest at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. on Saturday. (Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
His backup dunk — a regular 360-degree slam that included no pass — earned a score of 43.4, which brought his first-round total to 88.8, according to the judges. That mark wasn’t enough to finish in the top two of the first round.
“After taking a fall like that, I just had to move on from that dunk,” Richardson said. “It is what is.
“You win some, you lose some,” he added.
After Richardson and Hayes were eliminated, Johnson outlasted Bryant in the final round to win the event.
Had Richardson reached the final round, he said he had planned to focus on reverse dunks that included putting the ball between or underneath his legs while in the air.
But he wasn’t planning on including his father, Jason Richardson, who won the event twice with the Warriors (2002 and ’03).
“For me, I’m trying to steer away from that,” the younger Richardson said when asked if he would have worn his dad’s jersey in the final round. “I just wanted to do the contest and try to make it my own thing instead of everything having to do with my father.”
Richardson had only dunked four times in 38 appearances for the Magic throughout his rookie campaign, according to basketball-reference.com.
Even though he didn’t win the event, he still appreciated the opportunity to compete in it.
“This is my first All-Star Weekend so I’ve really enjoyed my time here,” Richardson said. “The energy was great.
“It’s something I’ve always imagined being a part of and I was just blessed to be here.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com