{"id":174315,"date":"2026-01-24T14:07:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T19:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=174315"},"modified":"2026-01-24T14:07:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T19:07:35","slug":"hawks-all-star-hopeful-jalen-johnson-cagey-slam-dunk-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/24\/hawks-all-star-hopeful-jalen-johnson-cagey-slam-dunk-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawks All-Star Hopeful Cagey About 2026 Slam Dunk Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>1990 was the last year that the Atlanta Hawks had a player who was an All-Star Game <em>and<\/em> All-Star Slam Dunk Contest participant in the same season. That man was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wilkido01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dominique Wilkins<\/a>, also known as &#8220;The Human Highlight Film.&#8221; Over 35 years later, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Johnson<\/a> is looking to be named a 2026 All-Star Game reserve after posting the eight-highest weighted score in <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NBAPR\/status\/2013339043338027459?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the voting returns<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Hawks All-Star Hopeful Jalen Johnson Cagey About 2026 Slam Dunk Contest<\/h2>\n<p>For now, Johnson doesn&#8217;t have a cool nickname like Wilkins. Nonetheless, the springy Wisconsin native has also frequently been seen jumping out of the gym. In fact, he already has 53 dunks in 2025-26. For reference, Boston Celtics wing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brownja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaylen Brown<\/a> &#8211;a participant in the 2024 Slam Dunk contest, finished the 2023-24 season with 76 dunks.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, it&#8217;s unclear whether Johnson would actually take part in the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest if invited.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Um, I don&#8217;t got no comment on that,&#8221; he says after considering the question (h\/t Jameelah Johnson of <em>atlhawksfans.com)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I asked Jalen Johnson if he were to be chosen as an All-Star reserve, would he do the dunk contest if they asked?<\/p>\n<p>JJ: Um\u2026I don\u2019t got no comment on that\u2026no comment. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ugyt5WLHxk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Ugyt5WLHxk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JJ (@JameelahJNBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JameelahJNBA\/status\/2015065603875238393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No comment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Death Of The Slam Dunk Contest?<\/h3>\n<p>Johnson&#8217;s response was far more hazy than that of Philadelphia 76ers guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/edgecvj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">VJ Edgecombe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With explosiveness that&#8217;s on par with a young <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wadedw01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dwyane Wade<\/a>, the rookie already has several high-flying highlights.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_174345\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-174345\" style=\"width: 1586px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/USATSI_28063358_168420908_lowres.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1586\" height=\"1226\" class=\"size-full wp-image-174345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/USATSI_28063358_168420908_lowres.jpg 1586w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/USATSI_28063358_168420908_lowres-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/USATSI_28063358_168420908_lowres-1024x792.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/USATSI_28063358_168420908_lowres-768x594.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/USATSI_28063358_168420908_lowres-1536x1187.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1586px) 100vw, 1586px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-174345\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jan 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) drives for a dunk against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>However, when asked about his inclination to be a part of the annual event, he replied: &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PHLY_Sixers\/status\/2013461948243849506?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yeah, I ain&#8217;t doing it<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Frankly, for a person who&#8217;s been praised for his humility, Edgecombe&#8217;s statement was full of hubris. He is, after all, in his first season in the NBA. Furthermore, there are hundreds of people from his birthplace (Bimini, which has a population of about 2,400) who can only dream of being in his position.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn&#8217;t have to be his responsibility to represent his home. But that seems like what someone who tried to get the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/03\/recapping-day-one-of-olympic-basketball-qualifiers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Bahamian men&#8217;s national team to the Olympics<\/a> would do.<\/p>\n<h4>Will Jalen Johnson Help Break The Mold?<\/h4>\n<p>Johnson, another highlight waiting to happen, could actually want to be part of the event. With his fast-rising popularity, he may have already been approached. If so, his comments could just be PR-savvy, keeping him out of the crosshairs by being opaque. Or, they could be his way of keeping his invitation or acceptance of it a secret.<\/p>\n<p>Fans can only hope that this is the case because All-Star Weekend is slowly dying.<\/p>\n<p>NBA commissioner Adam Silver keeps <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/24\/what-is-in-store-for-the-2026-nba-all-star-game\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">changing the All-Star Game format<\/a> and incentives to keep it fresh and motivate players who should realistically be thankful to even be named All-Stars. Many of those same stars have declined to participate in the Slam Dunk contest. As a result, fans have had to watch the likes of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/stanlca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cassius Stanley<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/toscaju01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Juan Toscano-Anderson<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/toppija01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacob Toppin<\/a> instead of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/edwaran01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Edwards<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willizi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zion Williamson<\/a>. What should be a stimulating event is now dispirited.<\/p>\n<p>To make it even worse, the participants that do go give it their all. Players who may not have a significant NBA career, like three-time Slam Dunk Contest champion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mccluma01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mac McClung<\/a>, still <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/17\/ja-morant-convince-star-players-2026-nba-dunk-contest\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">earn the respect of their peers<\/a> and the league&#8217;s fans. However, they&#8217;re quite simply <em>not<\/em> who the fans want to see.<\/p>\n<p>Edgecombe, and possibly Johnson, will be perpetuating that.<\/p>\n<div ng-show=\"setImageMetadata.credit\" class=\"modal-image-setImageMetadata\">\n<p class=\"ng-binding\">\u00a9 Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1990 was the last year that the Atlanta Hawks had a player who was an All-Star Game and All-Star Slam Dunk Contest participant in the same season. That man was Dominique Wilkins, also known as &#8220;The Human Highlight Film.&#8221; Over 35 years later, Jalen Johnson is looking to be named a 2026 All-Star Game reserve [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":174356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1608,62,13],"tags":[2064,3853,2815,44533,49644],"class_list":["post-174315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-nba","category-76ers","tag-dominique-wilkins","tag-jalen-johnson","tag-nba-all-star-game","tag-slam-dunk-contest","tag-vj-edgecombe"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174315"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174357,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174315\/revisions\/174357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}