Jaxson Hayes had a chance at NBA dunk contest glory Saturday, but instead entered the competition’s unofficial Hall of Infamy.
The Los Angeles Lakers center was the best-known contestant in a field of relative unknowns at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Hayes was competing against the likes of youngsters Jase Richardson, Keshad Johnson, and Carter Bryant — names that wouldn’t be familiar to most casual fans.
Instead of going viral for throwing down a sick first dunk, Hayes may have accelerated the contest’s downfall. Check the dunk out for yourself before reading what other folks had to say.
Jaxson Hayes must think the rules of the dunk contest is to dunk the ball
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) February 15, 2026
pic.twitter.com/ex4BB83WAo
Several fans saw Hayes’ mediocre first attempt and called the NBA slam dunk contest officially dead.
OMG THE DUNK CONTEST IS OFFICIALLY DEAD 😭😭😭
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) February 15, 2026
JAXSON HAYES WTF WAS THAT 💀
pic.twitter.com/vpfOLnnMPE
dunk contest was on life support until Jaxson Hayes unplugged it
— 𝙎𝙠𝙮𝙚𝙙 🇦🇺 (@SkyedOKC) February 15, 2026
Jaxson Hayes just killed the Dunk Contest
— ThunderWr1d (@ThunderWr1d) February 15, 2026
pic.twitter.com/f8gkZXcn7C
Fans often see better dunks while watching players fool around during pregame warmups. It’s one thing if it were 5’9″ Nate Robinson doing a basic dunk like that, but it’s another when it’s 7’0″ Jaxson Hayes.
Hayes’ second dunk was at least a bit better. He put his own spin on the classic Eastbay dunk, putting a jolt into the crowd for at least a brief moment.
JAXSON HAYES EASTBAY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/b1uLLhEL9S
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) February 15, 2026
Hayes’ first dunk got a 44.6 from the judges — the lowest in the first round. His second one received a more respectable 47.2, which mercifully wasn’t enough for him to advance to the finals.
While Hayes embarrassed himself in the dunk contest, at least he didn’t end up with a potential concussion as Richardson did.
