Fans might be more interested into tuning into the local news rather than to this year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
On Saturday, the NBA officially announced the full lineup for this year’s Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend. Miami’s Keshad Johnson and Orlando’s Jase Richardson are joining previously announced participants Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs and Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers for the competition at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
The 2026 @ATT Slam Dunk field!
— NBA (@NBA) February 7, 2026
NBA All-Star Saturday: 2/14, 5:00pm/et on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/IQ4oIWaWgy
Basketball enthusiasts were not at all happy about the field and slammed the Dunk Contest lineup as perhaps the “worst” ever. Take a look at some of the negative reactions.
This is the worst line up for a dunk contest in its history.
— NBA Hoops Online (@NBABoards) February 7, 2026
NBA fans watching the dunk contest field be announced pic.twitter.com/RFRewAp2X0
— Will Applebee (@WillApplebee) February 7, 2026
What happened to the game I love pic.twitter.com/OPkH1qBSR1
— Onyx (@OnyxOdds) February 7, 2026
— The Commish (@CommishFilmRoom) February 7, 2026
— chckbb (@theycallmechckb) February 7, 2026
A very unflattering statistic also made the rounds about this year’s Dunk Contest field. With a combined scoring average of 4.53 points per game this season, this is the lowest-scoring lineup for the Dunk Contest in NBA history.
This would be the lowest-scoring dunk contest field in NBA history with 4.53 ppg on average this season.
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) February 7, 2026
Beats the previous worst mark from 2021: 5.27 ppg.
Maybe they put on a show, but the contest has zero star power. https://t.co/MIpM3jE7GP
The writing was on the wall here after three-time Slam Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung declined to defend his title this year. Meanwhile, some NBA stars have also mentioned in past years that they had been turned off by the Dunk Contest, resulting in a very rapidly declining product for basketball fans as the years go by.
