INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat has not started a game this season, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers has not played in one, and yet both made their impact on All-Star Weekend.
Johnson delivered the defining moment of his short, two-season NBA career so far when he won the Slam Dunk competition over rookie Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs to close out Saturday’s prelude of events to Sunday’s All-Star Game.
In the 3-point Contest, the veteran Lillard defeated seven other long-distance shooting rivals and won the event for a third time, tying the record previously held by Larry Bird and Craig Hodges. The 35-year-old has been out due to an Achilles injury.
Johnson used a between-the-legs reverse dunk and a running dunk from just inside the free-throw line to post a combined score of 97.4 in the final round. He then had to wait out a final dunk from Bryant, who delivered a perfect 50.0 on his opening dunk of the final round.
Needing a score of 47.5 to become the dunk champion in his native Southern California, Bryant struggled to deliver some flash and settled for a 360-degree dunk just before time expired. His score of 43.0 left him with a final-round total of 93.0.
“I beat the odds. I made it. I made it into the NBA,” Johnson said. “Every year I was watching the NBA Dunk Contest, I dreamed of being out there, putting on a show for everybody. I learned from all the people that came before me, paying homage to them. And now that I’m here, I had to have crazy faith to be here and be in this position.”
Bryant said that whether the result is last place or a close second, the pain is all the same.
“I could care less if it was an Uno game, I could care less if it was running lines, I could care less if it’s a shooting competition,” Bryant said. “I feel like losing is something that burns. I just hate it. That’s just something you don’t want to feel.”
Eliminated in the opening round of the dunk competition were Jase Richardson of the Orlando Magic and Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Johnson, who has played in just 21 games off the bench this season and averages 7.6 minutes per game, outlasted them all.
Lillard’s 3-point victory was almost as much of a surprise. He has been out of action since an Achilles tear during last season’s playoffs as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
“For me, it means a lot just being able to get involved in some competition, feel a little bit of pressure, to do something that I haven’t been able to do all year,” Lillard said. “But just as a shooter, any time you can get in this competition and win it amongst other great shooters, I think that’s one of the greatest honors you can have as a shooter in this league.”
Lillard scored 29 points in the final round to hold off Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, who had 27 in the final after posting a high score of 30 while advancing from the first round. Rookie Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets also advanced to the final round but was eliminated with a score of 17.
While Lillard made his final 3-point shot to record his 29, Booker reached 27 by making his first two shots on the final rack of balls, then missed all three of his final shots, any one of which would have forced overtime in the competition.
In addition to Booker’s 30 in the first round, Knueppel and Lillard each scored 27 to move on. Failing to advance were the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (24), the Miami Heat’s Norman Powell (23), the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (18), the Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (17) and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis Jr. (15).
Lillard said his entry in the contest started off as a joke between NBA executive Michael Levine and became a reality when one player in the field backed out.
“It didn’t really take much,” Lillard said “I think I’ve done it enough times. … I think this was my sixth time doing it. I get up every day, and my mind is engaged in being able to play the game. I knew it was an opportunity to get back on this stage.”
Team Knicks — comprised of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and team legend Allan Houston — won the Shooting Stars contest with a dominating 47 points in the final. Team Cameron — consisting of former Duke players Jalen Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Corey Maggette — were the runner-up with 38 points.
The Shooting Stars competition had all three players shoot from seven different spots on the floor with each distance worth a varying amount of points.
Team All Star (Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren, Richard Hamilton) and Team Harper (Dylan Harper, Ron Harper Jr., Ron Harper) were eliminated in the first round of the Shooting Stars contest.
–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media
