ORLANDO, Fla. – Jace Richardson was surprised when the NBA asked him to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest, but the Orlando Magic rookie knew he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to participate in the iconic event during All-Star Weekend.
Richardson is one of four contestants announced for the Feb. 14 contest in Inglewood, California. He will be joined by San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers center Jackson Hayes and Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson.
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The 25th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is the ninth player in franchise history to attend the annual event and the first since Mac McClung, who announced last month that he would no longer attend after winning in each of the past three years.
“I think, for me, it was a little bit shocking because I felt like I was the last person people expected to be involved in this, but I always watched it growing up,” Richardson said Saturday. “Obviously, that’s one of the funniest things about All-Stars, I always pretend, so I thought, ‘Why not?’ I put my name in there and they said they wanted me to do it, so I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do it.'”
Richardson is the son of former 13-year veteran Jason Richardson, a two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion (2002, 2003). His father was known as an ambitious man early in his career, making him the perfect candidate for the event.
But Richardson was just 37 games into his first season with the Magic and wasn’t yet known for his high-flying ability or dunking ability. He has not competed in any level of dunk contest and has only completed four dunks this season, the lowest score of the four contestants.
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“I don’t know if I have the same amount of stuff that he does,” Richardson said. “But he just told me to go out and have fun. I think that’s the most important thing. I’m doing something at All-Star weekend that a lot of people say they can do.”
If Richardson initially seemed unenthusiastic about exposing himself in front of a national television audience, that wasn’t his intention. Shortly after the NBA announced the contestants, Richardson confused some people with a rather nonchalant reaction on X.
Richardson broke the record before the Magic beat the Utah Jazz 120-117, finishing with five points and two assists off the bench. He assured those who doubted his interest in the event that he would take home the Dr. J Slam Dunk Contest trophy.
“A lot of people think I’m not going to try because of what I tweet, but I’m not going to do something that I wouldn’t compete in,” Richardson said. “I’m always going to try to win something. Don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I’m still going to try to finish. But I feel like I’ve earned something.”
Richardson pointed to the all-time classic 2016 game between Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine as his favorite dunk contest. He also likes the creativity and bounce McClung has brought to the game in recent memory.
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The 20-year-old is expected to play immediately this year, with former AAU teammate Bryant also slated to be a competitor. The two recently discussed the issue when the Magic visited the Spurs on Sunday, creating more interest in the first-year player.
“It’s like one of my best friends,” Richardson said. “I don’t know what his plans are. I’m still trying to remember what he did in high school, but he’s probably changed a lot since then. It’s definitely going to be fun to compete against him.”
This article originally appeared in Rookie Line: Magic News: Jace Richardson shocked by dunk contest invitation