The 2026 All-Star Saturday Slam Dunk Contest concluded with a victory for Keshad Johnson. The Miami Heat forward, currently in his second professional season, defeated San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant in the final round of a competition ultimately decided by missed attempts in the closing stages.
The championship head-to-head was marked by inconsistent performances. Carter Bryant recorded the only perfect score (50) of the evening: the rookie launched a self-alley-oop from out of bounds, caught the ball mid-air, and completed the slam after passing it between his legs.
However, Bryant was unable to maintain that momentum in his final attempt. His closing routine—a complex alley-oop off the backboard—failed to connect, clearing the path for his opponent to take the lead.
Johnson responded with a focused display of technical precision, opting for a high-percentage execution to avoid compromising his total score. The Miami forward secured the title by bouncing the ball off the floor, threading it between his legs mid-jump, and finishing with a baseline reverse dunk.
Following the trophy presentation, Johnson reflected on the challenge of innovating in a discipline with such a long history: “Dunking is an art. We’ve seen every type of acrobatic evolution by now, and it’s complicated to invent something new every time. However, no one dunks exactly the same way; everyone brings their own style to movements that have likely been performed in the past. I simply tried to add my own personal touch.”
With this win, Johnson succeeds previous champions and brings the trophy to the Heat organization on a night that also featured Damian Lillard’s third career victory in the 3-Point Contest.
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