San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant had the Slam Dunk Contest in his grasp Saturday night, but let it slip away in the final round.
Bryant was unable to land a between-the-legs alley-oop dunk in the final round of the dunk contest, effectively conceding the win to Miami’s Keshad Johnson. After the contest, Bryant admitted that he was devastated by the outcome, and was even near tears after falling short.
“Losing is the worst thing on planet earth. It’s the worst feeling,” Bryant admitted. “It just runs deep. It stings. It hurts. So, I mean, it is what it is, but it is not going to be a feeling that’s forgot.”
A devastating dunk loss for Carter Bryant: "Losing is the worst thing on planet earth. It's the worst feeling. It just runs deep. It stings. It hurts. So, I mean, it is what it is, but it is not going to be a feeling that's forgot."
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) February 15, 2026
Bryant had the only 50-point dunk of the night and would have been a worthy winner. Unfortunately, luck abandoned him at the worst possible time, forcing him to throw down a pedestrian dunk in the final round that Johnson was able to beat.
Bryant’s effort had to be appreciated, especially in the context of some of the other attempts Saturday night. Whatever the case, it is at least refreshing that the dunk contest seemingly meant a lot to some of its participants, who really wanted to win it no matter how much it has declined in prestige.
