2021 AT&T SLAM DUNK RULES

Final Round: One Dunk for Each Finalist and Winner Determined by “Judges’ Choice” Instead of Individual Score

A new AT&T Slam Dunk champion will be crowned this year as first-time participants Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers, Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers and Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks compete for the title on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.  The 36^th AT&T Slam Dunk will take place at halftime of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, airing on TNT and ESPN Radio. 

AT&T Slam Dunk is part of NBA All-Star 2021, which will be held on one night.  TNT’s NBA All-Star coverage on March 7 will begin at 5 p.m. ET.

Simons (pronounced SIGH-mons) is averaging 8.2 points and shooting a career-high 40.7 percent from three-point range in his third NBA season.  The 6-3 guard was selected by Portland with the 24^th pick in NBA Draft 2018 presented by State Farm.

Stanley, a 6-5 rookie guard on a two-way contract, was selected by the Pacers with the 54^th pick in NBA Draft 2020 presented by State Farm.  He recorded a maximum vertical leap of 44 inches in the 2020 NBA Draft Combine, tied for the third-highest mark since 2000.

Toppin, a 6-9 rookie forward, was selected by the Knicks with the eighth pick in NBA Draft 2020 presented by State Farm.  As a redshirt sophomore at the University of Dayton last season, Toppin led the nation in dunks and was named the consensus National Player of the Year. 

Led by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, five past AT&T Slam Dunk champions will serve as the judges.  Wilkins (1985 and 1990 champion) will be joined by Dee Brown (1991), Jason Richardson (2002 and 2003), Josh Smith (2005) and Spud Webb (1986).  Wilkins, Smith and Webb won their Slam Dunk titles while representing the Atlanta Hawks.  Richardson won the last Slam Dunk competition in Atlanta, in 2003.

AT&T Slam Dunk will be a two-round competition.  In the first round, the three competitors will perform two dunks each.  The five judges will score each dunk on a scale of 6 to 10, resulting in a maximum score of 50 and a minimum score of 30.  The two players with the highest combined score for their two dunks (a maximum of 100 and a minimum of 60) will advance to the final round.

In the final round, the two competitors will perform one dunk each.  The winner will be determined by “Judges’ Choice” instead of individual score.  The judges will choose the winner by raising a card that has the dunker’s name on it.

2021 AT&T SLAM DUNK PARTICIPANTS

Player	Team	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.
Anfernee Simons	Portland Trail Blazers	G	6-3	181
Cassius Stanley	Indiana Pacers	G	6-5	193
Obi Toppin	New York Knicks	F	6-9	212

Explanation of the Rules for AT&T Slam Dunk Contest

THREE DUNKERS will compete in the two-round competition.

JUDGES – There will be 5 judges. For each dunk, a score from six to ten will be given by each judge, resulting in a maximum score of 50 and a minimum score of 30.

ATTEMPTS PER DUNK – For each scored dunk in both rounds (Dunks #1 and #2 in the First Round and Dunk #1 Final Round), each dunker will be limited to three attempts to complete his dunk.

ATTEMPT DEFINTION – An attempt is defined as the player controlling the basketball and moving it towards the rim.

OFFICIATING – A referee will judge whether a dunk is considered a made dunk or a missed dunk. Made dunks cannot be “replaced”, even if the dunker has remaining attempts.

PROPS – Use of any props or other people in any way during the slam dunk competition must be approved in advance of the competition by the NBA Basketball Operations department.

INSTANT REPLAY – At the discretion of the referee, instant replay may be utilized for rules compliance.

FIRST ROUND – Each competitor performs TWO Dunks (Dunk #1 and Dunk #2)

• The competition order for Dunk #2 of the First Round will be determined by the inverse order of the Dunk #1 scores (e.g., player with the lowest score on Dunk #1 goes first for Dunk #2).
• The two dunkers with the highest composite scores (Dunk #1 + Dunk #2) advance to the Final Round – maximum 100, minimum 60.

FIRST ROUND TIEBREAKER

In the event a tie in the First Round needs to be broken in order to determine one or both of the top two finishers, the advancing dunkers will be determined by “Judges Choice.” The judges would then be asked to choose the advancing dunker(s) by raising a card that has the dunker’s name on it.

FINAL ROUND – Each competitor performs ONE dunk

• The dunker with the lowest total score from the First Round will go first in the Final Round.
• The winner will be determined by “Judges Choice” once both dunkers have completed their dunks. The judges will choose the winner by raising a card that has the dunker’s name on it.