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Shams Charania, Senior NBA Insider
Chicago Bulls rookie forward Matas Buzelis and San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle have committed to two of the four spots in the slam dunk contest during NBA All-Star Weekend, sources told ESPN on Monday.
The dunk contest, which will be held Feb. 15 inside San Francisco’s Chase Center, will feature multiple rookies for the second straight year after Miami‘s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and New York‘s Jacob Toppin participated in 2024.
Buzelis, selected by the Bulls with the 11th pick last June, has played fewer than 13 minutes per game for Chicago but is no stranger to All-Star Weekend, participating in the 2024 Rising Stars game as part of a team made up of G Leaguers.
Castle, taken fourth by San Antonio, has emerged as a contender for rookie of the year as the floor-general-in-waiting for Victor Wembanyama‘s Spurs. Castle is coming off the best stretch of his rookie campaign, headlined by three straight 20-point performances last week.
An NBA player hasn’t won the dunk contest since 2022, with G Leaguer Mac McClung taking home back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.