The fans were once again not exactly out in full force for the second — and inarguably most exciting — night of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend slate in Los Angeles.
Inglewood’s Intuit Dome, home to the LA Clippers, was sparsely populated. In fairness, the festivities tipped off at 2 p.m. PT.
lots of empty seats here at Intuit for NBA All-Star Saturday. pic.twitter.com/6PnJocdz5A
— shakeia (@curlyfro) February 14, 2026As has been the case for a decade-plus, the 3-Point Contest proved to be the most star-studded event of the day — and was one by a guy who won’t play at all this season.
3-Point Contest: Damian Lillard Returns
This year’s 3-Point Contest boasted an absolutely loaded field.
All-Stars Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, Norman Powell, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey and Donovan Mitchell were joined by Milwaukee Bucks sixth man Bobby Portis, Rookie of the Year contender Kon Knueppel, and… Damian Lillard?
Booker, 29, has been connecting on just 31.1 percent of his 5.5 triple takes a night with the Phoenix Suns this season. But he was on fire Saturday, pacing the eight-man field to score a competition-best 30 points en route to the final. Knueppel and Lillard each notched 27 points to join him, knocking out Mitchell.
Lillard, out for the year as he recovers from an Achilles tendon tear, caught on fire late, connecting on nine of his last 10 triple tries.
DAME HITS 9 OF HIS FINAL 10 IN ROUND 1.His final round is underway on NBC and Peacock! t.co/1kVjXDolpF pic.twitter.com/upF7yo7PqF
— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2026Knueppel, who was clearly just happy to advance, fell apart in the next round, scoring just 17 points.
Lillard put on another clinic, knocking down 29 points and thrilling the arena.
Booker kicked off his second round by nailing nine 3-pointers in a row. The Weber State product missed what would have been the game-tying final corner trey on his money rack, where shots count double. The Suns All-Star finished with 27 points, falling just short.
Lillard tied Booker’s first-round sum of 30 points to best him in the second round, notching his third 3-Point Contest win. Lillard becomes just one of three players to achieve that three times. Lillard now joins Boston Celtics Hall of Fame small forward Larry Bird and former two-time Chicago Bulls champion sharpshooter Craig Hodges in the record books.
Damian Lillard's 2nd Round Score: 30 ?
He has the score to beat in the Final Round of the @StateFarm NBA 3-Point Contest!
Tap to watch: t.co/BpnjnxQ8vC pic.twitter.com/aMkcI3Liec
— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2026
Shooting Stars: A Shootaround with Your Dad
After Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama cynically gamified the Skills Challenge last year, the Shooting Stars event replaced it this weekend. The four-team, three-man pool (each armed with a celebrity distributor) boasted multiple Bulls ties.
Ron Harper Sr. played alongside his sons Dylan Harper and Ron Jr., while Rip Hamilton joined All-Stars Chet Holmgren and Scottie Barnes. Players have seven designated shooting zones, and each player can only take one attempt from each locale.
Comedian and ubiquitous pitchman Druski served as the passer for Hamilton’s Team All-Star… and his wacky passes doomed the bunch to a first-round elimination. Team Cameron — featuring three Dukies — failed to advance.
With rap legend 2 Chainz passing, Dylan and Ron Jr. struggled to find an early rhythm for Team Harper.
Team Harper ultimately fell short. No one made the long trey from the seventh spot. Ron Sr. blew his take at the first spot right beneath the basket. He exhibited zero hops. It was the kind of stationary take below the rim that, frankly, this writer would attempt.
Team Cameron — featuring Atlanta Hawks All-Star forward Jalen Johnson, Knueppel and Maggette — advanced.
But the eventual winner, Team Knicks, looked dangerously formidable early. Current New York All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were joined by former All-Star Allan Houston, with ex-Knick (and ex-Bull) Rick Brunson, Jalen’s dad, serving as their setup man.
Team Knicks eliminated the Harpers with a corner trey.
Both Team Cameron and Team Knicks stepped things up during a robust final round. Team Cameron appeared to have put things away with a 38-point outburst, but Team Knicks responded with a prolific run of their own. It all came down to that tricky seventh spot, but in the end, Team Knicks prevailed with 47.
ICE IN HIS VEINS ?
Jalen Brunson's shot seals Team Knicks’ WIN in @Kia Shooting Stars! t.co/eSZ9cw2qhC pic.twitter.com/aeKOcnThjr
— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2026
Allan Houston notched his second Shooting Stars win.
Slam Dunk Contest: A Quiet Night Without Mac
Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesNew Chicago two-way signing Mac McClung opted to sit out the fun and step away rather than compete for a fourth consecutive Slam Dunk Contest championship.
The new field featured three young guns and one springy veteran big. Orlando Magic rookie point guard Jase Richardson, son of former All-Star swingman Jason, and San Antonio Spurs lottery pick wing Carter Bryant appeared to be the favorites heading into the night.
Both made their first dunks. Jase Richardson notched a nifty reverse jam, emulating a 2001 dunk of his dad’s.
But the eventual champ, Miami Heat second-year small forward Keshad Johnson brought the Oakland to SoCal when he walked out with hip-hop legend E40 and subsequently dunked over him. Johnson was docked a few points for botching his first attempt. That said, he exhibited major hops, posing with one hand behind his head as it slammed it home and then dancing the Dougie at NBC cameras.
THE NUMBERS BEHIND KESHAD'S DUNK ? t.co/LJvzYdyQgJ pic.twitter.com/R2NBpx2Zta
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) February 15, 2026
Speaking of NBC/Peacock, the network brought some pizzazz and showmanship to the proceedings, with nice little intro reels for all of the Dunk contestants.
Los Angeles Lakers reserve center Jaxson Hayes, closed things out. He took a leap from the free throw line and finished with the lowest finish of anyone in this first run.
Bryant then crushed his second dunk, a windmill with crazy elevation. It proved to be announcer Reggie Miller’s favorite dunk to that point.
Johnson, who allegedly boasts a 42-inch vertical and a 6-foot-10 wingspan, attempted a windmill baseline reverse. It took three tries, but he got there.
In the final between Bryant and Johnson, Reggie Miller definitely started to sound like an older relative at a barbecue who was really, really trying to get excited about these kids and their weird music. The Dunk Contest was once again a fairly low-star, quiet event, and felt anticlimactic in the wake of the 3-Point Contest. It was a huge improvement from the yawn-inducing Shooting Stars competition, though.
Bryant seemed to have put the tournament away with a between-the-legs slam on his first attempt. Johnson responded with a one-handed windmill, including a full arm extension, from the free throw line.
PUT 50 ON THAT!@carterdbryant x @dy1anharper t.co/UrJvDmA1On pic.twitter.com/oKzgV3EHEC
— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2026
But it’s not over until it’s over.
Bryant strived to nail a reverse putback off the backboard, but couldn’t get it. He recovered with a nifty 360 flush as his backup, but was penalized by a loaded panel of judges.
Johnson wrapped it up, taking advantage of Bryant’s gaffe. He became the third Heat player to do the deed, and the first since Derrick Jones Jr in 2020.
In a troubling trend, only one Slam Dunk Contest champion across the last 10 years has become an All-Star, Mitchell.
Last 10 Slam Dunk Contest winners:'26: Keshad Johnson'25: Mac McClung'24: Mac McClung'23: Mac McClung22: Obi Toppin'21: Anfernee Simons'20: Derrick Jones Jr.'19: Hami Diallo'18: Donovan Mitchell'17: Glenn Robinson IIIOnly one All-Star has won in the last decade.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) February 15, 2026The NBA has an engagement problem.
This was a fairly no-frills Dunk Contest, less focused on props than on nailing dunks. Dunkers are now constrained by harsh time restrictions and a tight dunk attempt limit, which does at least help move things along. The Shooting Stars event needs to be relegated to Friday nights or not even featured at all. The 3-Point Contest again remains fun, especially since it always features such a loaded group of competitors.
Might it be time for All-Star Weekend to be shortened to, say, an All-Star Day?
No one cares much for the defense-free All-Star Game proper, which several of the inaugurated players opt to skip anyway. The Rising Stars Challenge and Celebrity Game can be a good watch, but you can certainly port those over to one day if you’re ditching everything aside from the Dunk Contest and 3-Point Contest.
Something needs to change. Adding more tournaments is not the fix, if that’s what Adam Silver is thinking.
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