Jaxon Hayes’ admission to “Hawaii” hints at future plans for the dunk contest

LOS ANGELES – When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Los Angeles Lakers‘a great man Jackson Hayes failed to advance to the final round of the slam dunk contest at NBA All-Star Weekend. After a combined score of 91.8 in the first round, Hayes was edged out in the final dunk by Miami Heat wing Keshad Johnson and San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant.

After completion Dunk Contest, Jackson Hayes talked about whether he would participate in the dunk again. As the oldest player in this year’s competition, he has not completely closed the door on another appearance, although it is unlikely.

“This is my seventh year in the NBA, I’ll be in my eighth year next year. You see these young guys have a lot more legs. I went for my first dunk, I felt it right in my knees,” Hayes said. “I don’t think so. It was fun to do and say I did it, but I don’t know. I’m not going to completely rule out the dunk contest, but most likely not. I’d rather be in Hawaii right now.”

With each competitor getting two dunk attempts in the first round, Hayes’ second attempt looked like the better option for him to take the lead. For his first dunk, he tried to take off from the free throw line, but seemingly misjudged his jump and ended up flying inside the line for what was essentially just a quick dunk.

His second dunk actually brought people out of their seats when he threw the ball in front from him, tapped it in the air from one hand to the other, returned it to the other hand between the legs and knocked it down.

Jackson Hayes taps it to himself and goes between the legs for his second strike @TO Slam Dunk 😤

Tap to view: https://t.co/BpnjnkK8vC pic.tvitter.com/pBALENoNj0

— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2026

Hayes became the sixth Lakers player to participate in the dunk contest, following Michael Cooper, Antonio Harvey, Kobe Bryant, Shannon Brown and Dwight Howard. Bryant is the only Laker to ever win a slam dunk.

Hayes actually became known for his dunks in the game this season, catching Luka Doncic’s lobs and throwing down an impressive dunk in Eastbay back on January 26 during the Lakers’ win against the Chicago Bulls.

This is Hayes’ third season with the Lakers after re-signing to a one-year deal last offseason. He originally signed with the Lakers as a free agent in 2023 after four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans.

This year, Hayes has appeared in 45 games, including seven starts, with just over 17 minutes per game. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals while shooting 77.2 percent from the field.