Last 10 NBA Dunk Contest winners
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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McIlroy Braves Elements, Leads Genesis Invitational
Rory McIlroy posted a 5-under 66 to open the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, navigating through rain and 20-plus mph wind gusts. The conditions led to a three-hour delay, but McIlroy appeared unbothered, birdying twice in his first three holes and his first after the break. He was briefly in the lead before Aaron Rai passed him late in the day as play was suspended due to darkness.
McIlroy nearly went bogey-free on the day, with his only slip coming at the par-3 16th. He quickly recovered with a birdie at the 17th to get back into a share of the lead. 'I've started to just really enjoy this style of golf,' McIlroy said, noting his improved ability to handle difficult conditions compared to 10 years ago.
Brighton's Landon Whitlock learned playoff hockey from state final run
NOVI — Sometimes Landon Whitlock came back to the Brighton hockey bench in the celebration line after contributing to a goal.
Sometimes he came limping back after eating a puck for the team.
Whatever it takes, especially at playoff time.
Whitlock learned what the postseason is all about while playing as a sophomore forward on a veteran team that went to its third consecutive state Division 1 championship game two years ago.
It’s those lessons he’s applied to his own game as a senior leader on one of the hottest teams in Michigan.
Whitlock had a goal and two assists and blocked four shots in the playoff opener for sixth-ranked Brighton, which beat Ann Arbor Pioneer 7-1 in a regional semifinal on Thursday, Feb. 19 at Novi Ice Arena.
“It’s just a Brighton thing to be a dog,” Whitlock said. “It’s what we’re known for is blocked shots. It’s just what we do. It’s just what you do for the team.
“I’m fine with taking one off the leg. It stings for a second, but it’s better than one going in the back of the net and costing us the game.”
Whitlock’s teammates were as excited to greet him back at the bench followed his blocked shots as they were for his first-period goal. In hockey culture, sacrificing the body for the team is revered.
“He just works,” Brighton coach Kurt Kivisto said. “He’s an absolute dog. He does a tremendous job on the penalty kill blocking shots and just grinds. He’s a guy who goes and retrieves pucks and makes things happen on the forecheck. He’s just really, really valuable for our team.”
As a sophomore, he had two goals and three assists in 30 games playing on a team spearheaded by all-state forwards Cam Duffany and Lane Petit.
“He was more of a third-line type of role, go eat minutes and do that dirty work,” Kivisto said. “He’s taken that and elevated his game this year. It’s been awesome to see.”
Whitlock’s points Thursday came when they mattered most, as he contributed to Brighton’s first three goals while Pioneer was flirting with an upset.
It was a 1-1 game until Eddie Wheeler scored with 4:57 left in the second period. That began an onslaught of four goals in a span of 8 minutes and 13 seconds spanning the second and third periods.
Whitlock opened the scoring with 3:10 left in the first period. After Pioneer’s Sean Stone tied it on the power play with 12:47 left in the second, the game settled into a bit of a stalemate until Wheeler broke the tie and Max McKenzie made it 3-1 with 16.4 seconds left in the second.
The Bulldogs broke it open with goals by Connor Duffany and Nic Smith early in the third. McKenzie scored his second goal with 7:39 remaining and Tim Peterson capped the scoring with 1:17 left.
Whitlock was Brighton’s eighth-leading scorer during the regular season with five goals and eight assists in 26 games. He’s picked up the pace late in the season, scoring three goals and six assists in the last seven games.
He credits the uptick in production to being paired with McKenzie and Wheeler later in the season.
“It’s the people I’ve been playing with,” Whitlock said. “I’ve been playing with the right players. Being with them puts me in the right place and in the right spots. I can get the puck and get some points.”
Brighton (17-11) is 12-2 in its last 14 games after losing six in a row. The Bulldogs will seek their sixth consecutive regional championship at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25 against fifth-ranked Northville or Novi at Novi Ice Arena. Brighton beat Northville 1-0 on Dec. 6 and rallied to beat Novi 4-3 in overtime on Jan. 10.
Contact Bill Khan at [email protected]. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Brighton hockey maintains hot streaks, beats Pioneer in playoff opener
Cowboys to play a 3-4 base defense for first time since 2012
The Cowboys have played a 4-3 defense for most of their history. All five Super Bowls they have won in their history came with a 4-3 defense.
They will play a 3-4 base this season, new defensive coordinator Christian Parker said Wednesday.
"First thing, we're going to be multiple," Parker said, via Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. "I think that whenever you form a defensive structure it's about the players that you have. So our core principles we'll be a 3-4 by nature, 4-3 spacing will be appropriate, 4-2-5 in nickel different front structures, coverages behind it. But I will say being multiple is probably the most important thing about it."
It marks the first time the Cowboys have played a 3-4 base defense since 2012 under Rob Ryan. DeMarcus Ware had 11.5 sacks that season, his next-to-last in Dallas.
The Cowboys initially moved to a 3-4 in 2005, Bill Parcells' third season, and stayed in that defense until 2013 when Monte Kiffin replaced Ryan as defensive coordinator. Mike Nolan ran a hybrid system in 2020, and the Cowboys allowed the most points in team history (473) until 2025 (511) when Matt Eberflus' unit allowed more.
The Cowboys fired Eberflus after one season.
Parker groomed under Vic Fangio with the Eagles, Vance Joseph with the Broncos, Mike Pettine with the Packers and Mike Elko at Notre Dame and Texas A&M. All four ran a 3-4 structure.
"I think once you get past that from the fronts, you build and the coverages you do, personality on third down, red zone, you definitely have a mentality as a play-caller, but I think it still has to be designed around the players that you have," Parker said. "I have little nuances that I've taken from each one of them and even people outside of that. I've had extensive studies when you build relationships outside of the circle you've been in, you want to incorporate them into."
The Cowboys' defensive line is the strength, with Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa. They kept Odighizuwa on an $80 million contract last offseason, traded for Clark in the Micah Parsons trade with the Packers and acquired Williams in an in-season deal with the Jets.
"The game is definitely won and lost up front," Parker said. "We have significant players in the front seven, and so I think when you start with that defensive line room and what you're able to do in controlling the pocket, stopping the run, control what an offense is able to do and if you're able to dictate to them on their terms so you're not playing the whole playbook on first and second down. I think it starts there.
"That's where the excitement starts. There's several other pieces that have been proven playmakers. We look forward to kind of bringing it all together in the next couple of months."