The Slam Dunk Contest has always been All-Star Weekend’s Wild Card, the event most likely to flip from forgettable to unforgettable in a single leap. Over the last decade, though, the trophy has belonged less to established stars and more to hungry role players and specialists carving out a lane above the rim. The last 10 winners underline that shift: from Donovan Mitchell in 2018, the only All-Star in the group, to a run of high-flyers trying to dunk their way into the wider NBA conversation.
What stands out in this 10-year window is how often the contest has become a stage for guys fighting for rotation minutes rather than franchise faces. That hasn’t hurt the entertainment value; if anything, it has raised the desperation level, with winners willing to empty the clip for one night of viral fame. And now, with Miami’s Keshad Johnson joining the list in 2026, the baton has fully passed to a new generation of leapers treating the Dunk Contest as their own primetime showcase.
10. Glenn Robinson III (2017)
All-Star selections: 0
Robinson was the first true “role-player winner” in this run, sneaking up on a casual audience in New Orleans. His clean, high-difficulty reverse over multiple people set the tone for a decade where precision and efficiency often beat pure name recognition.
9. Donovan Mitchell (2018)
All-Star selections: 7
Mitchell is the outlier on this list. A rising star who used the contest as a loud introduction to his All-NBA upside. His Vince Carter tribute and mix of power and flair made him the last marquee name to own the Dunk Contest stage in this stretch.
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8. Hamidou Diallo (2019)
All-Star selections: 0
Diallo’s Superman dunk over Shaquille O’Neal in Charlotte became an instant meme and a reminder that props can still land when the bounce is real. For a second-round pick fighting for minutes, that 50-point flush was a career-defining snapshot.
7. Derrick Jones Jr. (2020)
All-Star selections: 0
Jones turned Chicago into his personal runway, stringing together between-the-legs variations that edged Aaron Gordon in one of the most debated finishes ever. His left-handed glide and absurd hang time were tailor-made for slow-motion replays.
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6. Anfernee Simons (2021)
All-Star selections: 0
In an odd halftime contest during the pandemic season, Simons leaned on creativity, most memorably the near “kiss the rim” finish, to steal the trophy. It was a quieter stage, but his flair hinted at the scorer and shooter he was becoming in Portland.
5. Obi Toppin (2022)
All-Star selections: 0
Toppin finally cashed in after a runner-up showing, using his long frame and touch around the rim to separate from a shaky field in Cleveland. His off-the-backboard work and between-the-legs finishes gave Knicks fans at least one All-Star Weekend highlight.
4. Mac McClung (2023)
All-Star selections: 0
McClung arrived from the G League and stole the entire night, posting a string of 50s and flawless attempts that reignited interest in the event. In an era of star load management, a two-way guard turned the Dunk Contest into his personal TED Talk on bounce.
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3. Mac McClung (2024)
All-Star selections: 0
A year later, McClung proved it wasn’t a fluke, defending his crown with even more intricate setups and polished showmanship. Back-to-back titles elevated him from curiosity to modern contest legend, even as he remained on the fringes of regular NBA rotations.
2. Mac McClung (2025)
All-Star selections: 0
By 2025, McClung’s three‑peat made him the defining dunk-contest specialist of his time, the first name fans associated with the event. Every attempt felt like a curated viral clip, built for timelines as much as for the judges’ scorecards.
1. Keshad Johnson (2026)
All-Star selections: 0
Johnson kept the role-player tradition alive, elevating in Miami colors to snatch the 2026 crown with a mix of power and clean execution. For a young forward still carving out his NBA niche, the trophy instantly raised his profile and ensured his dunks would live on every All-Star highlight reel going forward.
A decade owned by specialists above the rim
Ten contests, one All-Star, and a whole lot of hungry leapers, that’s the story this list tells about the modern Dunk Contest. The league’s biggest names may sit it out, but the event survives because players like McClung and Johnson treat it like a career-making stage, not a side quest. As long as that pipeline of fearless high‑flyers keeps coming, All-Star Saturday will always have one event capable of stealing the weekend in a single jump.
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