Getty Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers is the favorite to win the dunk contest this year.
One of basketball’s most popular events, the annual NBA Slam Dunk Contest takes place on Sunday, March 7 during halftime of the 2021 All-Star Game.
The dunk contest will take place at halftime of the All-Star Game and be televised on TNT. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream online for free. Note that with all of these options you can also watch the Skills Challenge (6:30 p.m. ET), 3-Point Contest (after Skills Challenge) and All-Star Game (8 p.m. ET), all of which are also on TNT:
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AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment”, “Choice”, “Ultimate” and “Premier.” TNT is included in every package, but it’s worth noting that NBA League Pass is available in the “Choice” and up bundles at no extra cost–by far the best perk any streaming service is offering right now–and you can pick any package and any add-on you want for your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but when you sign up and select whatever bundle and extras you want, you’ll see that–if you’re a new customer–the “due today” amount is $0. You won’t be charged for 14 days, and you can cancel at any time. This is by far the best option for NBA fans:
Once signed up for AT&T TV, you can watch the NBA Dunk Contest live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours).
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of TNT and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the NBA Dunk Contest live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of TNT and 40-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” or “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t come with a free trial, but it’s the cheapest streaming service with TNT if you plan on keeping it long term:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the NBA Dunk Contest live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
NBA Dunk Contest 2021 Preview
After numerous invitees declined to participate in the dunk contest this year, including Alex Caruso, Zion Williamson, Jaylen Brown, Anthony Edwards and Miles Bridges, the final three participants have been set: Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers, Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers and Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks.
Indiana’s Stanley is the favorite to win, as the 6’5 rookie has displayed a ridiculous 44-inch vertical at the draft combine. Stanley consulted former teammate Victor Oladipo, who competed in the dunk contest in 2015 and again in 2018, for advice about how to walk away with bragging rights.
“He really just told me, ‘Don’t wear yourself out before the Dunk contest,'” Stanley said of Oladipo, via The Indy Star. “Obviously, you want to go in there confident knowing the dunks you can make, but also know that if you miss some dunks in practice, your adrenaline is going to be so high that you’re going to jump higher.”
For his part, Simons seemed as surprised by his selection for the event as others who wondered whether his two dunks on the season were enough to qualify him for the dunk contest. “I honestly didn’t expect to be picked,” Simons said. “So it kinda caught me by surprise when I got the phone call that I had been invited.”
Toppin may be the most excited about competing, however. The Knicks rookie could barely contain his excitement when asked about it this week. “It is definitely crazy to me,” Toppin told USA Today on Thursday. “It is crazy because I was texting with Cassius the other day and both of us were saying how surreal this is. Our first year in the NBA and we get to compete in the Dunk Contest. Having this opportunity is a blessing in itself.”
The competition will consist of two rounds, and will be judged by a panel that includes several former famed winners of the competition, including Dominique Wilkins, Josh Smith, Jason Richardson, Dee Brown and Spud Webb.