The 2026 NBA Dunk Contest featured a familiar face for Michigan State fans. Jase Richardson found himself in this year’s dunk contest, and he had one forgettable start to the event.
Although no one really expected him to win because he doesn’t exactly have an extensive dunk package, but he had one of the more embarrassing attempts of the night.
Richardson is an athlete, but he attempted a 360 off an alley-oop off the side of the backboard, and it didn’t go well. He got caught on the side of the backboard with the ball and he fell backwards and nearly suffered a scary injury.
Fans joked that he probably suffered a concussion before attempting to finish out the contest, but it was a scary moment in the contest and everyone was relieved just to see him get up.
This was actually scary at least Jase Richardson is good pic.twitter.com/wECXfojTVq
— Bones🦴 (@bonesy) February 15, 2026
Richardson got up and was able to close out the dunk contest, but he didn’t exactly dominate. He finished fourth behind Jaxon Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers, Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat, and Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat’s Johnson was the champion of the dunk contest, but Spartan fans are just happy that Richardson is OK.
Fortunately, Richardson can do a lot more than just dunk, so he’s going to be just fine.
Jase Richardson is having a solid rookie year
Richardson may only be averaging 5.1 points per game, but he’s been effective when he gets the playing time. He’s shooting 47 percent from the floor and 37 percent from three. He would’ve been much better suited for the 3-point contest, but whoever chooses participants just wanted him to follow his dad’s footsteps and win the contest.
The former Michigan State star has been coming on nicely over the past few months, though he’s had a quiet month of February, averaging just 2.8 points and shooting 31 percent in 12.5 minutes per game. He may be hitting a rookie wall, but he’s has what it takes to get back on track.
Orlando Magic fans love what they’ve seen from Richardson so far this season, and they have to be pretty happy that he’s not injured after this missed dunk attempt.
No more dunk contests for Jase — hopefully.