NBA Names Dunk Contest’s First Two Participants

A pair of Western Conference contenders will reportedly send representatives to the event.

Carter Bryant will represent the Spurs in the dunk contest. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The 2026 edition of the NBA’s annual Slam Dunk Contest reportedly has its first two participants.

Spurs forward Carter Bryant and Lakers center Jaxson Hayes have accepted invitations to compete in the event, according to a Thursday afternoon report from Shams Charania of ESPN.

Bryant, 20, and Hayes, 25, will be both newcomers to the contest. The former will be the second straight San Antonio player to compete (guard Stephon Castle was the runner-up last year), while Hayes will be the first Laker to enter the event since center Dwight Howard in 2020. Los Angeles guard Kobe Bryant is the only player from either team ever to win the event, doing so in 1997.

The Spurs drafted Bryant 14th out of Arizona in June. So far, he has primarily come off the bench, averaging 2.5 points in 8.1 minutes per game.

Hayes, in his third year with the Lakers after beginning his career as a Pelican, is averaging 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game. On Monday, Hayes tagged the Bulls with a nasty between-the-legs dunk.

The ‘26 event will be held on Feb. 14 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., and televised by NBC for the first time since 2002.

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