Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes will take part in the 2026 NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania reported on January 29, 2026, that Hayes and San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant have both accepted invitations for the event, leaving two slots still open. The contest will be staged at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, giving Hayes an opportunity to perform in front of a home-area crowd.
Hayes, 26, has built a reputation for eye-catching aerial plays, most recently converting an Eastbay Funk—a through-the-legs dunk—during a January 26 game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center. After that victory, the 6-foot-11 center recalled first experimenting with the move in high school.
“I started doing it my sophomore year,” Hayes said. “You’re in the driveway on a small hoop trying a bunch of dunks. I tried it in middle school, then my sophomore or junior year of high school I was actually dunking and thought, ‘let me try it,’ and I got it. I’ve been doing it ever since.”
The Lakers have not produced a Slam Dunk Contest champion since Kobe Bryant won the trophy in 1997. Franchise representatives Shannon Brown (2010), Larry Nance Jr. (2018) and Dwight Howard (2020) have competed in recent years but did not claim the title.
This year’s All-Star Weekend will run February 13–15, 2026. The full dunk-contest field is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
Source: LakersNation.com
