With the NBA trade deadline in the books, all attention shifts to the All-Star break. At this point in the hoops calendar, teams finally get some much-needed time for rest and relaxation ahead of the stretch run.
This year’s All-Star Weekend has a little bit of everything, ranging from celebrity appearances to high-flyers, 3-point marksmen, and superstars going head-to-head. The Slam Dunk Contest stands out as a marquee event.
With that in mind, when is the NBA Dunk Contest 2026? We’ll dive into that, as well as a list of participants and their highlights payouts on PrizePicks Team Picks. With Team Picks, you can make Slam Dunk Contest predictions, as well as pick game winners, spreads, and over/unders — now available in 34 states!
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When is the 2026 NBA Dunk Contest? Date, Time, How to Watch
This year’s NBA All-Star Weekend festivities take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, CA. Spanning three nights, multiple events spotlight some of the Association’s ascending talents, established stars, and more.
2026 NBA All-Star Weekend Schedule
Friday features the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN), followed by Rising Stars (9:00 p.m. ET) and the NBA HBCU Classic (11:00 p.m. ET), both available on Peacock.
Saturday’s three-contest slate tips at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Event 1 is the State Farm 3-Point Contest, with Kia Shooting Stars falling in line afterward. The AT&T Slam Dunk challenge caps off the night.
In a new format, Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game (5:00 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock) is headlined by three teams: the Stars, Stripes, and World. The eight-man squads compete in a round-robin tournament, culminating with a championship clash at 7:10 p.m.
AT&T Slam Dunk Contest Participants, Winner Payouts
Four contestants make up the 2026 NBA Slam Dunk field: San Antonio Spurs rookie F Carter Bryant, Miami Heat F Keshad Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers C Jaxson Hayes, and Orlando Magic G Jase Richardson.
With PrizePicks Team Picks, you can make predictions on who will win Saturday night’s AT&T Slam Dunk Contest. Below are the payouts for each participant.
Team Picks data is live as of writing and is subject to change.
- Carter Bryant: 1.35x No | 2.7x Yes
- Keshad Johnson: 1.28x No | 3.44x Yes
- Jaxson Hayes: 1.21x No | 3.57x Yes
- Jase Richardson: 1.17x No | 4.54x Yes
Bryant, the 14th overall pick in 2025’s NBA Draft, gets 9.8% of his field goal attempts from dunks. The Arizona product has made nine on the year. Per NBA Advanced Stats, his 39.5-inch max vertical leap was tied for fourth among all Draft Combine attendees.
Johnson, a second-year man for the Heat, owns 15 career dunks in 257 minutes played, with 20.5% of his shots being of that variety. In the 2024 NBA Draft Combine, his 42-inch max vertical leap tied F Trentyn Flowers for the best.
In a January 26 win over the Chicago Bulls, Hayes completed a between-the-legs highlight dunk that made its rounds on social media. A whopping 38.8% of his career shots have been dunks, including a 52.9% mark for this season (75 dunks made). The 7-footer is the tallest member of this year’s Slam Dunk Contest group.
Last, but not least, is Richardson. The 25th pick in the most recent draft owns 73 made shots this year with just four dunks. With that said, per Nick Kalinowski’s Combine Score database, his max vertical ranked in the 74th percentile.
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Recent Dunk Contest Winners on NBA All-Star Weekend
There have been some thrilling NBA Dunk Contest outcomes in the past. Three-time reigning champion Mac McClung isn’t back to defend his title, instead leaving the throne for someone else to claim.
Let’s take a look at the last 10 Slam Dunk Contest winners.
- 2025: Mac McClung
- 2024: Mac McClung
- 2023: Mac McClung
- 2022: Obi Toppin
- 2021: Anfernee Simons
- 2020: Derrick Jones Jr.
- 2019: Hamidou Diallo
- 2018: Donovan Mitchell
- 2017: Glenn Robinson III
- 2016: Zach LaVine
Make NBA All-Star Weekend Picks on PrizePicks
With NBA All-Star Weekend arriving, basketball fans can make predictions on several of Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s events and earn real-money rewards if they’re right.
Make your hoops picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks. Just pick players and predict More or Less on their projected stats. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, and more — now available in 34 states!
Keep it locked in here with the Playbook for continued NBA news, analysis, and picks.
