Ja Morant teases dunk contest debut in 2026, challenges Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon

Mac McClung’s three-peat as the Slam Dunk Contest champion has inspired at least one other star to potentially perform in the event.

Ja Morant signaled some interest in potentially performing in the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest in a pair of social media posts on Saturday.

“mac might make me decide to dunk,” Morant wrote in one post.

The Grizzlies guard also recruited a pair of heroes of Slam Dunk Contests past to potentially join him. 

“zach & AG wassup,” Morant wrote in a follow-up post with an eyes emoji.

That post, presumably, was meant for Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine and Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon. LaVine, a two-time winner, and Gordon have been viewed as two of the best performers in the history of the event. LaVine took down Gordon in the final round of the event in 2016, earning a perfect score on all four of his dunks while Gordon received a perfect score on three of his attempts as the round needed a dunk off.

LaVine hasn’t performed in the event since his victory in 2016. Gordon, meanwhile, performed in the event two more times, controversially losing in 2020. In that loss, Gordon posted a perfect score on five of his dunks, losing again in a tie-breaker. 

With the numerous perfect dunks he’s put up over the years, Gordon solely held the record for the most dunks with a perfect score in Slam Dunk Contest history until Saturday night. McClung put up four perfect dunks to win Saturday’s event, including a dunk over a car, matching Gordon’s record for the most dunks with a perfect score in the history of the Slam Dunk Contest. 

While LaVine, Gordon and McClung have brought exciting dunks to the Slam Dunk Contest, arguably no player has had more exciting in-game dunks in recent memory than Morant. The 6-foot-2 guard has made a habit of posterizing players taller than him by several inches, giving him several highlight-reel dunks over his first season in the league. 

Because of that, Morant has been viewed as a dream participant in the Slam Dunk Contest by many fans and media members over the years. But he’s been steadfast in his rejection of participating in the event, telling Bleacher Report in 2021 that he would only do it if he was paid $1 million. 

Now, Morant at least seems open to the possibility of performing in the event. He would bring some much-needed star power to the event as well. Jaylen Brown is the only player to participate in the event in the same year he was named an All-Star over the last seven seasons. He finished as a runner-up in the 2024 Slam Dunk Contest.

Of course, a lot of things can change between Saturday and All-Star Saturday in Los Angeles in 2026. LeBron James memorably committed to participate in the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest while watching Dwight Howard win the 2010 event. But the all-time great has never performed in the Slam Dunk Contest. 

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