The NBA announced Tuesday that Houston Rockets wing Kenyon Martin Jr., New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, New York Knicks center Jericho Sims and Philadelphia 76ers guard Mac McClung will compete in the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
The annual Slam Dunk Contest will be held Saturday in conjunction with NBA All-Star Weekend at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
While the NBA Slam Dunk Contest was once a star-studded affair, it has more often become a proving ground for young, unheralded players in recent years, and that will once again be the case for the 2023 edition.
None of the four participants in this year's Slam Dunk Contest are anywhere close to being an All-Star, and all of them are likely unknowns to casual basketball fans.
The biggest name is arguably Martin, who is the son of Kenyon Martin, the 2000 No. 1 overall draft pick, 15-year NBA veteran and one-time NBA All-Star.
K-Mart Jr. was a late second-round pick in the 2020 NBA draft, but he has developed into a more-than-serviceable NBA player and part-time starter for the Rockets.
In this his third NBA season, Martin is averaging career highs with 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists, but most importantly, he is a high-flying in-game dunker with a strong opportunity to put on a show and win the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest.
The best overall player in the field may be Murphy, who has cemented himself as a starter for a Pelicans team that is in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.
Murphy, who was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, is averaging 13.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He is also averaging 2.3 three-pointers made per game and is shooting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc.
While Murphy would perhaps be a better fit for the Three-Point Contest than the Slam Dunk Contest, he has impressive hops, and he is a dark horse to win the main event of the All-Star Saturday festivities.
It was initially reported that Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe would be part of the Slam Dunk Contest, but Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported this week that the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft dropped out of the competition to focus on the second half of the season and was replaced by Sims.
The 24-year-old Sims is the tallest player in the event at 6'10", and he has been a notable player for the Knicks in this his second NBA season, averaging 3.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game.
Dunking in games is a regularity for Sims, and thanks to his length and athleticism, he has a chance to pull off some special dunks in the competition:
The last and most unlikely participant in the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest is McClung, who was recently with the G League's Delaware Blue Coats before inking a two-way contract with the Sixers on Tuesday.
McClung, 24, went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2021 and has already bounced around between a few different teams.
He appeared in one game each for the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers last season, and while he had deals with the Golden State Warriors and 76ers leading up to the 2022-23 campaign, he was released by both teams before returning to Philadelphia.
Of all the participants, nobody has more riding on the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest than McClung, since a strong performance could help elevate his profile down the stretch of the season.
