NBA All-Star 2026 kicked off on Saturday with a trio of events, including the 3-point contest, shooting stars event and the dunk contest.
First up was the 3-point contest, which marked the first time Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard took the court in an official capacity this season as he continues to rehab an Achilles injury. He delivered, putting up 27 points in the first round then 29 in the final round to take down Devin Booker.
It was Lillard’s third 3-point contest title after back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024. He joins Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners in NBA history.
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Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel also advanced to the final round, but scored just 17 points. Lillard went next and surpassed his first-round score. Booker missed what would have been the tying shot on his final attempt and finished with 27 points. He had 30 in the first round.
In addition to Lillard, Booker and Knueppel, Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), Bobby Portis Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks) and Norman Powell (Miami Heat) also participated.
Next up was the shooting stars contest, where four teams consisting of two current NBA players and one NBA legend compete in two rounds, scoring points while rotating through different shooting locations around the court. Team Knicks —Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns — was victorious, taking down Team Cameron — Kon Kneuppel and Jalen Johnson.
Last is the slam dunk contest, where the four participants will compete in a two-round showdown with judges scoring each jump. In the first round, all four participants will attempt two dunks, with two advancing to the final round. In the second round, each finalist will attempt two dunks, and the highest-scoring of the two will win it all.
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The four participants for this year’s slam dunk contest are: Carter Bryant (San Antonio Spurs), Jaxson Hayes (Los Angeles Lakers), Jase Richardson (Orlando Magic) and Keshad Johnson (Miami Heat). Notably, this year’s rotation won’t include Mac McClung, who won his third consecutive Slam Dunk Contest victory last year and is currently on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls.
Start time: 5 p.m. ET (3-point contest, followed by shooting stars, slam dunk)
Location: Intuit Dome | Inglewood, Calif.
TV channel: NBC, Peacock
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest updates from the NBA’s slam dunk contest and 3-point contests on All-Star Saturday:
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Tarohn Finley
Jase Richardson scores 43.4 points on his second dunk after multiple mistimed lobs on his dunk attempts. After taking a scary fall, Richardson decided to try another dunk, which he was able to finish.
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That was better. After a missed attempt and a few mistimed self-lobs, Jaxson Hayes scored a 47.2 on his second dunk.
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Jaxson Hayes’ first dunk would be acceptable in a regular game, not a dunk contest. After Hayes’ pedestrian one-handed dunk, even he winced. Hayes scored 44.6, with Dwight Howard giving his fellow big man a 47.
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Miami Heat rookie Keshad Johnson takes the lead with a 47.4 score despite missing his first dunk attempt. Johnson jumped over rapper E-40 and dunked while having one hand behind his head. Johnson celebrated by doing the dougie.
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Orlando Magic rookie Jase Richardson opened the dunk contest with a reverse dunk on a self-lob. He scored 45.4. Richardson is the son of Jason Richardson, who won back-to-back NBA dunk contests in 2002 and 2003.
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San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant opens the dunk contest, scoring 45.6 on his first dunk.
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Multiple 7-point shots from Jalen Brunson and Allan Houston helped the Knicks win the Kia Shooting Stars challenge. The Knicks now have a Kia Shooting Stars trophy to go along with their trophy from the Emirates NBA Cup.
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Corey Maggette carried. Maggette scored three 7-point shots in a row to lead Team Cameron to 38 points in the second round.
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The Knicks take the lead with 31 points after multiple shots from deep. The Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson, Karl Anthony Towns and Allan Houston.
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The Harpers are in second place after an 18-point performance from Ron Harper Sr., Ron Harper Jr. and Dylan Harper.
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Team Cameron scored 24 points after strong performances from Jalen Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Corey Maggette.
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Bad passes from Druski and missed jump shots from Rip Hamilton, Chet Holmgren and Scottie Barnes gave team All-Star a score of 16.
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We got a vintage Damian Lillard performance in the 3-point contest. Lillard beat out Devin Booker and Kon Knueppel in the championship round with 29 points to win his third 3-point contest. Lillard joins Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time 3-point champions.
This was the first time we had seen Lillard compete in a Portland Trail Blazers jersey since 2023. Lillard has missed the entire season after tearing his Achilles during last year’s playoffs with the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Devin Booker’s comeback attempt in the 3-point contest falls just short. Booker finished the championship round with 27 points, only two points behind Damian Lillard.
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Jack Baer
Seeking a third title, Lillard just posted 29 points to put the pressure on Devin Booker. This is wild for a guy who’s been out for the entire season.
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Jack Baer
Only 17 for Knueppel, which you would imagine won’t be enough with the two shooters up next. You never know, though.
