Full history of Los Angeles Lakers in the 3-Point and Slam Dunk Contests
If each NBA franchise were to field a team comprised of the best players in their history, the Los Angeles Lakers would be able to put together the most star-studded group. Just imagine a depth chart filled with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers have truly had an embarrassment of riches throughout the years.
With both the 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest taking place tonight, it's a great time to look back on the Lakers' history in both events. Considering they've had some of the best players in the history of the game, one would think that they'd be heavily represented in these events throughout the years, but surprisingly, that's not really the case. Even more shocking is the fact that the purple and gold only has one win all-time in either contest.
Lakers 3-Point Contest participants through the years
The last Laker to take part in the 3-Point Contest was Nick Young in 2017. Swaggy P matched defending champ Klay Thompson with 18 points in the first round, but he was one point shy of Kemba Walker for third place, which left him just barely short of making the finals. Eric Gordon ended up defeating Kyrie Irving in overtime to win the title.
The 3-Point Contest first took place in 1986, and you have to go back nearly that far to find the rest of the Lakers' participants. Byron Scott and Michael Cooper both participated in 1987, but they were no match for Larry Bird, who won the event for the second year in a row.
Scott returned one year later, once again falling short to Larry Legend. This is maybe the most famous 3-Point Contest in history, as it's the one where Bird entered the locker room and asked his fellow participants, "So who's coming in second?" Then he backed up his talk by winning without even removing his warm-up jacket.
That's it for Lakers 3-Point Contest participants — just four in almost 40 years, with zero wins. Of the current roster, we could see Dorian Finney-Smith, Austin Reaves, or even Luka Doncic participating someday, though none have yet. Lakers head coach JJ Redick was in the contest twice, in 2015 and 2016, but he failed to escape the first round both times.
Lakers Slam Dunk Contest participants through the years
The Lakers have had some high flyers in their history, and six of them have been in the Slam Dunk Contest. Dwight Howard was the most recent, entering the fourth and final Dunk Contest of his career (and first as a Laker) in 2020. Howard won it all in 2008 when he famously donned a Superman cape and dunked from the free throw line, but he came up short in 2020 to Derrick Jones Jr., who beat Aaron Gordon in an epic tiebreaker.
Larry Nance Jr. represented L.A. in the 2018 contest, ultimately falling just short to Donovan Mitchell for the title. Nance did pay tribute to his dad, though in one of the coolest moments of the competition, wearing the same Phoenix Suns uniform and throwing down the same "rock the cradle" dunk that his dad did to beat Dr. J and win the inaugural Slam Dunk Contest in 1984.
Michael Cooper was also in that first-ever contest that the elder Nance won, making him the only Laker to ever take part in both the Slam Dunk Contest and the 3-Point Contest. He was the only Laker dunker for over a decade until Antonio Harvey gave it a shot in 1995.
Two years later, Kobe Bryant became the only Laker to ever win the Dunk Contest. Kobe was an 18-year-old rookie at the time, making him the youngest to ever win it. This was one of the first notches on his belt as a pro, but this contest was remembered as one of the worst ever. Kobe only made one of his two dunks in the finals, but it was still deemed enough to beat Chris Carr and Michael Finley.
Fans were so down on the Dunk Contest after 1997 that the NBA didn't even hold one in 1998, opting instead for what was called the 2Ball competition that matches NBA and WNBA stars together. The Dunk Contest didn't return until 2000, when Vince Carter put on a show to get it back on the map.
The Lakers probably don't have anybody on the current roster that could participate in any future Dunk Contests. LeBron James has had his chances throughout the years but has always declined. It's exceedingly unlikely he'll make his debut in his 40s.
James will play in the All-Star Game itself, and Lakers fans will get a treat to see him go against teammate Dalton Knecht, who is part of the Rising Stars team, in the first round of the four-team tournament.
Be sure to check out the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest tonight beginning at 8 p.m., then the All-Star Game on Sunday night at 8 p.m. All events will be broadcast on TNT and truTV.