NEW YORK – Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, Atlanta Hawks forward-center John Collins, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo and New York Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. will showcase their aerial artistry and leaping ability in the 2019 AT&T Slam Dunk on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 34^th Slam Dunk is part of State Farm^® All-Star Saturday Night, which also features the Taco Bell^® Skills Challenge and the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest.  All-Star Saturday Night will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States at 8 p.m. ET.  NBA All-Star 2019 will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets.

AT&T has become the title partner of Slam Dunk as part of a new multiyear official marketing partnership with the NBA.  This new agreement will tip off next week at NBA All-Star 2019, where AT&T will also be the presenting partner of NBA All-Star Practice and Media Day.

Two rookies (Bridges and Diallo) and two second-year NBA players (Collins and Smith) comprise the AT&T Slam Dunk field.  Here is a closer look at the participants:

• Miles Bridges, Hornets: Competing in his home arena, the 6-7 forward is the Hornets’ first Slam Dunk participant since 2010 (Gerald Wallace). Bridges, the 12^th overall pick in NBA Draft 2018 presented by State Farm, has 12 double-digit scoring games this season. He was a consensus 2017-18 Second Team All-American in his sophomore season at Michigan State.

• John Collins, Hawks: Collins leads Atlanta in scoring (19.6 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg) and ranks ninth in the NBA in field goal percentage (58.4). He earned a spot on the U.S. Team for MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars, which will be played on Friday, Feb. 15 during NBA All-Star 2019. The 6-10 forward-center was named to the 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds last season.  A former Wake Forest star, Collins is Atlanta’s first Slam Dunk competitor since 2006 (Josh Smith).

• Hamidou Diallo, Thunder: Diallo, a 6-5 guard, recorded a 44.5-inch maximum vertical jump at the 2017 NBA Draft Combine powered by Under Armour, the second-highest mark in event history. The 45^th overall pick in NBA Draft 2018 presented by State Farm has appeared in 43 games as a rookie with Oklahoma City. In his three starts, Diallo has averaged 8.7 points and shot 76.9 percent from the field.  He is the Thunder’s first Slam Dunk participant since 2011 (Serge Ibaka).  

• Dennis Smith Jr., Knicks: Smith returns to Slam Dunk after finishing third last season. The 6-3 guard, who was acquired by New York in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 31, is averaging 12.8 points and 4.4 assists per game. Last season, the Fayetteville, N.C., native averaged 15.2 points and 5.2 assists and joined Collins on the 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie Second Team.  Smith is the Knicks’ first Slam Dunk competitor since 2013 (James White).

2019 AT&T Slam Dunk Rules

In the two-round event, participants can perform any dunk they choose.  The players have a maximum of three attempts to complete each dunk in both the first round and the final round.  Five judges score every dunk on a scale of 6 to 10, resulting in a high score of 50 and a low score of 30.

All four competitors get two dunks in the first round.  The two players with the highest combined score for their two dunks advance to the head-to-head final round.  The player with the highest combined score for his two dunks in the final round is crowned the champion.  Click here for a complete explanation of the rules.

Below is the lineup for the 2019 AT&T Slam Dunk and a list of previous winners.

About AT&T Communications
We help family, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video streaming, we innovate to improve lives. We have the best network according to America’s biggest test.** We’re building FirstNet just for first responders and creating next-generation mobile 5G. With DIRECTV and DIRECTV NOW, we deliver entertainment people love to talk about. Our smart, highly secure solutions serve over 3 million global businesses – nearly all of the Fortune 1000. And worldwide, our spirit of service drives employees to give back to their communities.  AT&T Communications is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). Learn more at att.com/CommunicationsNews.

^{AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc. Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at facebook.com/att and on YouTube at youtube.com/att.}

^{© 2019 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.}

^{**Based on GWS OneScore Sept. 2018. Excludes crowd sourced studies.}

FirstNet^® and the FirstNet service logo are the intellectual property of the First Responder Network Authority.

About State Farm^®
The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its nearly 19,000 agents and approximately 65,000 employees serve approximately 83 million policies and accounts – approximately 81 million auto, fire, life, health and commercial policies and approximately 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 36 on the 2018 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.

About NBA All-Star 2019
NBA All-Star 2019 in Charlotte, N.C., will bring together the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game.  The 68^th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Spectrum Center, will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.  TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 17^th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 34^th year of NBA All-Star coverage. Spectrum Center will also host MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 15 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 16.  The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles and NBA All-Star Practice & Media Day will take place at Bojangles’ Coliseum.