{"id":469241,"date":"2026-02-15T01:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T01:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/469241\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T01:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T01:38:09","slug":"heats-keshad-johnson-wins-nba-dunk-contest-after-damian-lillard-takes-down-devin-booker-in-3-point-shootout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/469241\/","title":{"rendered":"Heat’s Keshad Johnson wins NBA Dunk Contest after Damian Lillard takes down Devin Booker in 3-point shootout"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Miami Heat\u2019s Keshad Johnson won this year\u2019s NBA Dunk Contest, despite San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant nailing a between-the-legs dunk in the first leg of the final that saw him receive 50s across the board.<\/p>\n

The competition appeared to be Bryant\u2019s to lose, but he couldn\u2019t land his final planned dunk \u2014 a reverse slam following his own pass off the backboard \u2014 instead opting for a 360 that he showcased to start the night. Bryant needed only a 47.5 to win, but his last-ditch repeat effort resulted in a mere 43.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s final dunk saw him soar from inside the key for a high-flying but somewhat underwhelming throwdown, especially since Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes attempted a similar dunk in the first round. But the running windmill was a nice touch, and it came in the wake of his between-the-legs dunk from underneath the basket that wowed.<\/p>\n

Johnson, who went undrafted in 2024, has played in just 21 games with the Heat this season and is currently averaging 3.1 points per outing in those appearances, is the team\u2019s first player to win the NBA Dunk Contest since Derrick Jones Jr. in 2020. Harold Miner won it for the Heat in 1993 and 1995.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s biggest competition, Bryant, also played college basketball at Arizona, but they didn\u2019t overlap. The Spurs selected Bryant with the No. 14 overall pick in last year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

Bryant kicked things off in the first round with his first 360, complete with a left-leg kick out and a right-handed jam. He followed that up with a windmill slam that earned him 50s from Dwight Howard and Dominique Wilkins and an average score of 49.2, the highest of any dunk in the first round, clinching his spot in the final.<\/p>\n

Johnson joined him after settling for a baseline reverse dunk that demonstrated every bit of the wingspan that accompanies the former Arizona and San Diego State forward\u2019s 6-foot-7 frame. Johnson\u2019s first dunk was more impressive. Not only did he leap over someone in the paint, but he did so while positioning his left hand behind his head, as if he was relaxing on the beach. That earned him a score of 47.4, the second highest of the first round.<\/p>\n

They both cleared the combined scores recorded by Jase Richardson of the Orlando Magic and Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers in the initial two rounds.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The judges table was made up of Howard, Wilkins and fellow former dunk contest champions Brent Barry and Julius Erving, as well as longtime Clippers standout Corey Maggette.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s festivities began with the 3-point contest and the shooting stars event.<\/p>\n

First up was the 3-point contest, which marked the first time Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard took the court in an official capacity this season as he continues to rehab an Achilles injury<\/a>. He delivered, putting up 27 points in the first round, then 29 in the final round to take down Devin Booker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was Lillard\u2019s third 3-point contest title after back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024. He joins Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners in NBA history.<\/p>\n

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel also advanced to the final round, but scored just 17 points. Lillard went next and surpassed his first-round score. Booker missed what would have been the tying shot on his final attempt and finished with 27 points. He had 30 in the first round.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

In addition to Lillard, Booker and Knueppel, Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), Bobby Portis Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks) and Norman Powell (Miami Heat) also participated.<\/p>\n

Next up was the shooting stars contest, where four teams consisting of two current NBA players and one NBA legend compete in two rounds, scoring points while rotating through different shooting locations around the court. Team Knicks \u2014 Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns \u2014 was victorious, taking down Team Cameron, which featured Kneuppel and Jalen Johnson.<\/p>\n

Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest updates from the NBA\u2019s slam dunk contest and 3-point contests on All-Star Saturday:<\/p>\n

Live44 updatesSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:47 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:51 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Carter Bryant came up short in the dunk contest after missing multiple dunks, scoring just a 43 on his last dunk.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:50 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Keshad Johnson scored 47.8 on his final dunk attempt. He followed it with a dance as he did after every dunk.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:46 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Carter Bryant followed up Keshad Johnson\u2019s dunk with a perfect score on his between-the-legs dunk.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:43 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Keshad Johnson scored 49.6 on his first dunk in the finals on a between-the-legs reverse dunk.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:37 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Keshad Johnson\u2019s 45.4 points on his second dunk were enough for him to advance to the finals to face Carter Bryant. Johnson was able to pick up his points on an impressive reverse dunk.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:34 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

What a dunk from Carter Bryant on his second attempt. The judges gave him a round-high 49.2 after windmilling off a self-lob. Bryant and Keshad Johnson head to the finals.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:31 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Jase Richardson scores 43.4 points on his second dunk after multiple mistimed lobs on his dunk attempts. After taking a scary fall, Richardson decided to try another dunk, which he was able to finish.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:26 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

That was better. After a missed attempt and a few mistimed self-lobs, Jaxson Hayes scored a 47.2 on his second dunk.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:23 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Jaxson Hayes\u2019 first dunk would be acceptable in a regular game, not a dunk contest. After Hayes\u2019 pedestrian one-handed dunk, even he winced. Hayes scored 44.6, with Dwight Howard giving his fellow big man a 47.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:18 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Miami Heat rookie Keshad Johnson takes the lead with a 47.4 score despite missing his first dunk attempt. Johnson jumped over rapper E-40 and dunked while having one hand behind his head. Johnson celebrated by doing the dougie.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:11 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Orlando Magic rookie Jase Richardson opened the dunk contest with a reverse dunk on a self-lob. He scored 45.4. Richardson is the son of Jason Richardson, who won back-to-back NBA dunk contests in 2002 and 2003.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:09 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant opens the dunk contest, scoring 45.6 on his first dunk.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:06 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 4:05 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 3:51 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 3:41 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Multiple 7-point shots from Jalen Brunson and Allan Houston helped the Knicks win the Kia Shooting Stars challenge. The Knicks now have a Kia Shooting Stars trophy to go along with their trophy from the Emirates NBA Cup.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 3:36 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

Corey Maggette carried. Maggette scored three 7-point shots in a row to lead Team Cameron to 38 points in the second round.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 3:30 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

The Knicks take the lead with 31 points after multiple shots from deep. The Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson, Karl Anthony Towns and Allan Houston.<\/p>\n

\"TarohnSat, February 14, 2026 at 3:28 PM PST<\/p>\n

Tarohn Finley<\/p>\n

The Harpers are in second place after an 18-point performance from Ron Harper Sr., Ron Harper Jr. and Dylan Harper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Heat\u2019s Keshad Johnson won this year\u2019s NBA Dunk Contest, despite San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[40549,11949,8174,7630,218023,5487,1753,25165,36057,7330,13054,51029,36783,47172,1754,67300,24323,36782,106199,25169,22487,1055,8173,360,355,218005,60839,11950,2113,2116,99,20396,7639],"class_list":{"0":"post-469241","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-carter-bryant","9":"tag-charlotte-hornets","10":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","11":"tag-clippers","12":"tag-corey-maggette","13":"tag-damian-lillard","14":"tag-denver-nuggets","15":"tag-derrick-jones-jr","16":"tag-devin-booker","17":"tag-dominique-wilkins","18":"tag-donovan-mitchell","19":"tag-dwight-howard","20":"tag-jalen-brunson","21":"tag-jalen-johnson","22":"tag-jamal-murray","23":"tag-jase-richardson","24":"tag-jaxson-hayes","25":"tag-karl-anthony-towns","26":"tag-keshad-johnson","27":"tag-knicks","28":"tag-kon-knueppel","29":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","30":"tag-miami-heat","31":"tag-milwaukee-bucks","32":"tag-nba","33":"tag-nba-dunk-contest","34":"tag-norman-powell","35":"tag-orlando-magic","36":"tag-philadelphia-76ers","37":"tag-san-antonio-spurs","38":"tag-sports","39":"tag-trail-blazers","40":"tag-tyrese-maxey"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}