The NBA Dunk Contest is one of the highlights of NBA All-Star Weekend. The third and final event on NBA All-Star Saturday, the dunk contest puts the NBA’s best athletes on display to showcase their ability to jump out of the gym and thrown down acrobatic slams.
In this article, we’ll preview the NBA Dunk Competition, break down the NBA Dunk Contest participants, and give away our picks for the NBA Dunk Contest winner.
NBA Dunk Contest — How to Watch the NBA All-Star Dunk Contest in 2024
- ⛹ Participants: Jalen Green | Obi Toppin | Cole Anthony | Juan Toscano-Anderson
- 📅 Date: Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022
- 🕗 Time: 8 pm ET
- 📺 TV Channel: TNT
- 🏟 Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse | Cleveland, Ohio
- 🎲 Odds: Jalen Green (+140) | Obi Toppin (+210)
NBA Dunk Contest Odds
The NBA Dunk Contest is arguably the biggest event on NBA All-Star Saturday. Several NBA legends, including Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, have won the NBA Dunk Competition. In 2022, the sportsbooks have picked Houston Rockets’ rookie Jalen Green as the favorite to win the slam dunk contest.
Below, we’ll break down the NBA Dunk Contest odds from BetOnline, one of the best NBA betting sites.
| Player | Odds | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Jalen Green (HOU) | +140 |  |
| Obi Toppin (NYK) | +210 | |
| Cole Anthony (ORL) | +300 | |
| Juan Toscano-Anderson (GSW) | +550 | |
NBA Slam Dunk Contest Format
This year’s NBA Dunk Contest judges will be made up of a panel of five former dunk contest winners: Dee Brown, Jason Richardson, Josh Smith, Spud Webb, and Dominique Wilkins.
Each dunker will get two dunks in the opening round. The dunkers with the highest combined scores will advance to the final round, where each player will have one dunk to prove that they deserved to be crowned the NBA Dunk Contest champion.
NBA Dunk Contest Preview
Once a prestigious event that attracted the league’s top up-and-coming players, the NBA All-Star Dunk Contest has lost some of its allure heading into 2022. However, with several young players gearing up for this year’s competition, the 2024 NBA Dunk Contest could restore some excitement around the event.
While Juan Toscano-Anderson is 28 years old, no other dunk contest participant is more than 23 years old.
NBA All-Star Dunk Contest 2024 Participants
With the NBA All-Star Weekend already in full swing, let’s break down some of the NBA Dunk Contest participants below.
🏀 Jalen Green, Houston Rockets (+140)
Since Houston Rockets’ rookie Jalen Green did not attend the NBA Draft Combine, his official vertical leap hasn’t been measured since joining the NBA. However, he made a name for himself with his leaping ability before ever stepping foot on an NBA court. Green has the talent and showmanship to steal the spotlight on Saturday and make the 2022 NBA Dunk Contest one to remember.
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1491965278321790983
The odds-on favorite to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Green has a penchant for attacking the rim, even in games. A whopping 16.2 percent of his made field goals have been dunks during his rookie year.
🏀 Obi Toppin, New York Knicks (+210)
Standing a 6-foot-9, New York Knicks’ forward Obi Toppin has a unique combination of size, power, and explosiveness, which should help him remain competitive on Saturday. Toppin also has the edge on the competition in terms of experience. While the other three players will be competing for the first time, this will be the second consecutive year that Toppin will be participating in the Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Weekend
OBI TOPPIN GOT UP
is he taking the dunk contest? pic.twitter.com/v9KE4TIzdi
— buckets (@buckets) February 15, 2022
Few players in the league like to throw it down more than Toppin. In fact, 26.3 percent of his field goal attempts and 47 percent of his made field goal have been dunks this year.
🏀 Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic (+300)
While he hasn’t necessarily been known for show-stopping dunks in the NBA, Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony has some serious hops. When coming out of North Carolina for the NBA Draft, Anthony made waves with his elite athleticism. In fact, Anthony has been dunking since the eighth grade and has a deep repertoire of dunks in his arsenal ready for NBA All-Star Weekend.
Cole Anthony will be in the NBA Dunk Contest!
Here he is at the City of Palms Dunk Contest in High School 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ra0AfvnmnU
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 29, 2022
As you can see, Anthony utilizes his 43-inch vertical leap to throw down some pretty impressive dunks, especially for a player of his size. Anthony also has some dunk contest experience. He won the City of Palms dunk contest in high school.
🏀 Juan Toscano-Anderson, Golden State Warriors (+550)
Juan Toscano-Anderson might not be a household name to the average NBA fan but don’t count out the Golden State Warriors’ big man in the NBA Slam Dunk Competition. After spending some time in Europe, Toscano-Anderson is a well-travelled forward who has developed a reputation for posterizing opponents. Just ask Phoenix Suns’ center JaVale McGee.
Check out this NBA Dunk of the Year candidate from Toscano-Anderson from earlier this season:
Juan Toscano-Anderson with a MONSTER dunk! 😱
(📽️: @Warriors)pic.twitter.com/Heg2kt5W9P
— theScore (@theScore) December 4, 2021
Toscano-Anderson is trying to become the first Warriors player since Richardson to win the dunk contest. Richardson won three straight dunk contests with the last one coming during the 2002-03 season.
Free NBA Picks | The Best Bets for the NBA Dunk Contest
Guards have stolen the spotlight in the dunk competition before and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it happen again in 2022. Jalen Green should put on a show on Saturday but the Rockets’ rookie may try to do too much in his first NBA All-Star Weekend appearance. Meanwhile, Magic guard Cole Anthony seems to be made for the spotlight. Not only has Anthony hit big shots during his young career but his swagger and charisma should also help him shine in this event. Take Cole Anthony (+300) to win the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night.
To place a free bet on Saturday’s dunk contest at BetOnline, click the button below.
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