NBA announces competitors for Slam Dunk, Shooting Stars All-Star events

The San Antonio Spurs’ Carter Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes, the Miami Heat’s Keshad Johnson and the Orlando Magic’s Jase Richardson have been named the participants in the All-Star Slam Dunk competition, the league announced in a press release. It will be held next Saturday at the Clippers’ new Intuit Dome.

All four players will be making their event debuts. Richardson, a rookie guard, does have a familial connection with the contest. He is the son of two-time Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson (2002 and 2003).

The league also announced the teams for the Shooting Stars competition on Saturday. Four teams of three — each featuring two NBA players and one NBA legend — will compete in the event.

• Team All-Star: Raptors star Scottie Barnes and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren will be joined by three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton.
• Team Cameron: Three Duke University alums will team up, with Hawks All-Star Jalen Johnson and Hornets star rookie Kon Knueppel being joined by former 14-year NBA veteran Corey Maggette.
• Team Harper: Five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr. pairs up with his sons, Spurs guard Dylan Harper and Celtics swingman Ron Harper Jr.
• Team Knicks: Knicks teammates and All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will team up with Allan Houston, who made two NBA All-Star teams and is now a member of the Knicks front office.

The Shooting Stars will feature a two-round format, with all four teams competing in the first round and the top two advancing to the final round.  Teams will compete one at a time and have 1:10 to score points while rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court, with all three players on a team shooting at each spot in a set order.  The team with the higher score in the final round will be crowned the champion.