If there is one event in this year's All-Star weekend that is as highly anticipated as the All-Star Game, it is the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk 2022. While the competition has lost some of it's luster in recent years because of some underwhelming performances, it continues to gain fan interest. After all, who doesn't want to see an explosive dunk by some of the league's best high-flyers and most explosive athletes?

There is just something about a slam dunk that will forever make it an attraction wherever it is performed. And for the biggest professional basketball league in the world, the hype is even higher.

With that said, here is everything you need to know before watching the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest 2022.

Date, Time And How To Watch NBA All-Star Dunk Contest 2022

When: February 19, 8:00 p.m. ET (Third Event)

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Cleveland)

How to Watch: TNT, ESPN Radio — Tickets available at NBA.com

The 2022 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest is the third event of the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night that also features the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest. While it starts at 8 p.m. ET, the dunk contest follows much later on after the first two events.

Participants

Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic

Obi Toppin, New York Knicks

Jalen Green, Houston Rockets

Juan Toscano-Anderson, Golden State Warriors

There will be a new Slam Dunk Contest winner on Saturday, with three first-time participants competing alongside a returning high-flyer. Anthony, Green and Toscano-Anderson are joining the contest for the first time in their careers, while Toppin returns after finishing second last year–behind Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons.

Naturally, Toppin is the favorite to win the event. Beyond his experience from joining it before, he has the perfect tools to deliver an explosive slam. However, as everyone knows, that is not all there is to it when it comes to the art of dunking. Creativity and the timing of when they deliver their dunks (just ask Aaron Gordon about this) will also be crucial in winning the event.

For what it's worth, Green hyped up his participation recently after he mentioned that he once pulled off the Gordon air-sit dunk. Meanwhile, JTA highlighted that he will be leaning on his “creativity” and “showmanship” knowing that he lacks the elite athleticism that his opponents possess.

With that said, it is certainly brewing to be an exciting faceoff that will feature a ton of variety.

 

Format

According to the NBA, the four competitors will get two dunks in the first round. After which, the two participants with the highest combined score for their dunks will be pitted against each other in the final round. The participant with the lower score will go first in the final.

To decide the match, the finalists will also need to deliver two dunks. Same as the first round, the participant with the highest combined points for their two slams will be crowned the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest champion.

For what it's worth, each participant will only have three attempts per dunk to complete it. As the league clarified, it is considered an attempt if the player is “controlling the basketball and moving it toward the rim.

In the event that there is a tie in the first round, the five judges will be the one to break it. Called “Judges' Choice,” they will each raise a card with the name of the participant who they think should move on to the final.

Meanwhile, if the finalists also ended up in a tie, there will be a one-dunk dunk-off to decide the winner. If they are still tied after that, it will be the “Judges' Choice” that'll decide the winner.