The Orlando Magic were prepared to have the weekend off next week at All-Star Weekend.
Their two young stars were too injured to get the recognition to play in the All-Star Game. They had no young players worthy of the Rising Stars.
And putting a player in the yet-to-be-announced Three-Point Shootout field as the second-worst 3-point shooting team in the league? Yeah, that was a long shot.
It seemed like Orlando was destined not to have any representation at All-Star Weekend. Especially after Anthony Black told reporters he declined to participate in the Dunk Contest.
The NBA, desperate to fill out its field for the Dunk Contest, turned to another Magic player to complete the field. Orlando will not be shut out from Los Angeles next weekend.
The league announced Jase Richardson will join the field in the NBA's Slam Dunk contest next Saturday, becoming the ninth Magic player to participate in the Dunk Contest and following in his father's footsteps, a two-time champion while Jason Richardson played for the Golden State Warriors.
To say the least, seeing the 6-foot-1 rookie with just four dunks to his name this season was a bit of a surprise selection.
i guess 😂🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/uDkgJZl0M6
— Jase Richardson (@JaseRich4) February 7, 2026
"I think for me it kind of came as a shock because I feel like I'm the last person a lot of people would expect to be in it," Richardson said before Saturday's game. "I always grew up watching it. Obviously, one of the most fun things to do during All-Star. I used to pretend. They said they wanted me to do it, so let's do it."
Richardson claims he is not even the best dunker in his family, giving the credit to his younger brother as the most athletic in the family. Richardson said he has never competed in a dunk contest before.
Richardson is certainly an unlikely Dunk Contest participant.
He firmly put his tongue in cheek when playing with the unlikely appearance in the Dunk Contest. It is crazy that he will represent the team after struggling to stay in the rotation this year.
It is Richardson's chance to step onto the stage. It should be a fun stage to present himself to the NBA world. And Richardson is a capable dunker.
"I think it's really cool," coach Jamahl Mosley said before Saturday's game. "I think it is great for him. His dad did it for years. Just being able to carry that on. He has been in the gym working on some stuff lately. It is fun to watch and fun to see. His teammates are rallying behind him doing it. I think that's really big time for him."
Richardson has had some strong moments this year. But he has mostly had to fight for his playing time.
He has appeared in 37 games for 12.0 minutes per game, averaging 5.1 points per game and shooting 36.5 percent from three. Even in limited minutes, Richardson has shown how he can contribute with his scoring burst and shooting ability.
This will be Richardson's chance to shine on a big stage.
Richardson is the Magic's only All-Star representative
When Jase Richardson takes the floor in Los Angeles next weekend, he will be the only player wearing an Orlando Magic uniform (there is an Osceola Magic player in the Rising Stars game on the G-League team) for the entire weekend.
Without Jase Richardson's inclusion, widely believed to be because of an injury to Jalen Duren, who was previously reported to be participating in the contest, the Magic would have had no one representing the team at one of the league's showcase events.
That is something that has not happened since 2018 when Aaron Gordon had to withdraw from the dunk contest due to an injury. It had not happened formally since the 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend in Oakland.
The only other All-Star Weekend that did not feature any Magic players participating in any events was the 1990 All-Star Game, during the Magic's expansion year.
The team had Otis Smith in the Dunk Contest in their second season in 1991 and Nick Anderson participated in the Dunk Contest in the 1992 All-Star Weekend in Orlando. Shaquille O'Neal became the franchise's first All-Star in 1993 as a rookie.
It is exceptionally rare for any team not to have some representation at All-Star Weekend. This shows how close the Magic were to being shut out and joining a pretty depressing list of Magic teams that did not show up at All-Star Weekend.
Really, it is just the 2000 team, which was an intentional gutting and rebuild for the Heart and Hustle year, and the expansion team in 1990 that got shut out.
That speaks to how frustrating and disappointing this season has been.
But Magic fans will have Richardson to watch at All-Star Weekend next year as the Magic try to bring home a fourth Slam Dunk Contest trophy.