The 2018-19
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) basketball team will become the first high school squad to have two players go on and compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest when
K.J. Martin of the Houston Rockets participates Saturday.
Cassius Stanley took part in the event in 2021 as a member of the Indiana Pacers.
Multiple players from
Archbishop Molloy (Queens, N.Y.),
Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.),
Mount Zion Christian Academy (Durham, N.C.),
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.),
Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.),
Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) and
Washington (N.C.) have competed in dunk contests, but those high flyers never wore the same uniform together as prep teammates.
Martin was a Sierra Canyon senior in 2019 and spent a post-grad year at IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) before becoming a second round selection in the 2021 NBA Draft. The second-year pro averages 11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Rockets.
Stanley was also a Sierra Canyon senior in 2019 and went to Duke for a year before becoming a second round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Stanley finished third in the 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and has played in 33 career NBA games with the Pacers and Detroit Pistons. He currently plays for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League.
Sierra Canyon went 32-3 and finished No. 6 in the final 2018-19 MaxPreps Top 25 after winning the California Open Division title. That team also featured UCLA freshman
Amari Bailey, Toronto Raptors center
Christian Koloko and Los Angeles Lakers guard
Scotty Pippen Jr.In the 2019 state championship game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Martin and Stanley both recorded dunks.
