Keshad Johnson soars to victory in 2026 Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Saturday
All-Star Saturday night (ET) ended on a high note when Keshad Johnson captured the 2026 Slam Dunk crown, delivering a crowd-pleasing set of dunks that edged out San Antonio rookie Carter Bryant and left the Intuit Dome buzzing.
High energy and a hometown feel fuel Johnson’s win
Johnson, an undrafted player who climbed from a two-way deal to a standard contract with Miami, brought palpable energy to the contest. He danced his way onto the floor, recruited a cameo on the court and used flair as part of his approach. One of his defining moments came when he jumped and dunked over rapper E-40, pausing to pose for the cameras before sealing the round with a one-handed slam from inside the free-throw line. Earlier he opened a finals attempt by putting the ball between his legs off a lob and finishing with authority.
Fans from the West Coast packed the arena and responded to Johnson’s showmanship. He leaned into that support, saying the environment felt like home and that he was able to control his moment once he stepped into it. Judges rewarded the mix of creativity and execution enough for him to walk away with the title.
A tense finish as Bryant falters and other All-Star events unfold
Carter Bryant, the Spurs rookie, started strong and recorded the contest’s first perfect 50s in an earlier round with a powerful lob-plus-one-handed windmill dunk. In the finals, however, he struggled to land a high-difficulty between-the-legs dunk he has practiced for years. With the clock ticking in his 90-second window, Bryant missed repeatedly and even lost time in a brief on-court exchange with an analyst before finally attempting a hurried finish. That final dunk earned a 43, leaving the door open for Johnson to claim the crown.
Other All-Star Saturday contests also produced clear winners: Damian Lillard took the 3-Point title and a team featuring Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston won the Shooting Stars event. But it was the dunk contest that closed the night, with Johnson’s mix of athleticism and spectacle becoming the final highlight.
What this win means for Johnson and the dunk contest
For Keshad Johnson, the trophy is both a moment and a potential launching pad. His NBA résumé remains compact—just a few hundred minutes of regular-season action—but the Slam Dunk victory gives him a signature moment that will accompany his career moving forward. Whether this becomes a long-term turning point or a standout highlight depends on how he builds from here in regular-season play.
The contest itself continues to draw mixed reactions. Some praised Johnson’s connection with the crowd and his creative choices; others noted that the event has uneven stretches and that not every dunk lived up to the highest expectations. Still, Johnson’s performance created a clear narrative: a hometown-flavored, high-energy display that did exactly what a dunk contest is supposed to do for a player looking to amplify his profile.
As All-Star Weekend moves on to the main game, Johnson’s moment will be replayed and discussed—an emblematic All-Star Saturday ending that combined personality, athleticism and the kind of showmanship that keeps fans tuning in year after year.
