We know two players who will be in the Dunk Contest, and one of them is a Laker

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has lost a lot of its luster in recent years.

This season's event at the home of the Clippers won't even have the three-time champion Mac McClung, who has already announced he won't be participating.

But on Thursday, two of the four participants were revealed by ESPN's Shams Charania:

• Jaxson Hayes
• Carter Bryant

Hayes is a center for the Lakers, while Bryant is a rookie wing for the Spurs.

The 7-foot Hayes has that tall-guy effect working when he dunks, for better or worse. He did pull out a between-the-legs dunk in-game the other night for L.A., so it's clear he has an expert-level dunk package.

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Hayes was the No. 8 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Texas.

This season, Hayes is putting up 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as he mostly comes off the Lakers' bench. He's also shooting an absurd 77.3% from the field.

Bryant was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Spurs out of Arizona.

He was known in part for his defense, and so far has averaged just 2.5 points per game as a rookie with shooting percentages that aren't pretty.

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Clearly, there's a belief that Bryant will put on a better show in the Dunk Contest than he has in his rookie season.

There are two competitors still to be chosen, and hopefully at least one of them brings some more star power than this duo.

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