NBA All-Star Weekend took place at Intuit Dome in Inglewood this year, making it special for the Los Angeles Lakers players involved even though it was the L.A. Clippers technically hosting the events.
The Lakers had two players make the All-Star team this year in Luka Doncic and LeBron James, and Jaxson Hayes was also on hand to compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Hayes has thrown down some nasty dunks in his three seasons with the Lakers, and now he got the opportunity to do it on the biggest stage in the Dunk Contest for the first time.
He was competing against Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs, Jase Richardson of the Orlando Magic and Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat, while the judges were Brent Barry, Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson and Dominique Wilkins.
Hayes went last in the first round and appeared to attempt to dunk while jumping from the free throw line. He wound up being a step in front though, so he only got a 44.6 score from the judges, which ranked fourth.
Jaxson Hayes’ intro and first dunk, which he received a 44.6 for: pic.twitter.com/oBmEW571Gi
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) February 15, 2026
Since he ranked fourth after the first round of dunks, Hayes kicked off the second round with a familiar through-the-legs dunk on a pass from himself:
Jaxson Hayes went through the legs on his second attempt and was given a score of 47.2. pic.twitter.com/RpWQ0zXHmf
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) February 15, 2026
Hayes recently did a similar Eastbay dunk in a game and missed on the first attempt in this one, which took a little of the flare away even though he still received a solid score.
Ultimately, Hayes was not in the top two, so he was eliminated before the final round. Hayes had a 91.8 combined score in the first two rounds, ahead of Jase Richardson (88.8) but behind Bryant (94.8) and Johnson (92.8).
Both Bryant and Johnson put on a show with their first dunks in the final round, but Bryant screwed up his second, allowing Johnson to take home the title.
Jaxson Hayes always dreamed of competing in Slam Dunk Contest
Before competing in the event for the first time, Jaxson Hayes discussed what it meant to him to be in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
“It would be really special if it was in Cleveland or Indiana, that’s close to my family,” the Lakers center admitted. “But for me, I’ve always dreamed on being in the Dunk Contest, it’s just something you do as a kid. Obviously making it to the NBA and being an All-Star, stuff like that (is what you dream of), but for me, I was always big into the Dunk Contest, if you guys can’t tell by the way I play. So yeah, just excited. When I got that call, I was definitely down.”
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