By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-01-20 12:51:24
2026年1月19日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，霜岸中心球馆，圣安东尼奥马刺队的卡特·布莱恩特在下半场对阵犹他爵士队的比赛中上演扣篮。
周一比赛的第四节末段，马刺队后卫德阿龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 在一次快攻中遥遥领先，此时他决定做一件他能想到的最“缺德”、最“恶魔”般的举动。
他将球抛向篮筐前方，传给跟进的卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant)，并向这位新秀发起挑战，看他敢不敢扣篮。
2026年1月19日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，霜岸中心球馆，圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) (1号) 在下半场对阵犹他爵士队的比赛中与队友迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) (2号)、德阿龙·福克斯 (4号) 和卡特·布莱恩特 (11号) 交流。
“我根本没想到他会传那个球，”布莱恩特说。“他信任我，这感觉很棒。”
对于那些一直关注布莱恩特连续剧的人来说，他们深知这位天赋异禀的前锋本赛季在完成扣篮方面遭遇了令人费解的“失能症”，因此也完全明白福克斯这记空中接力传球有多“坏”了。
首先，这一球本可能让布莱恩特丢掉他的头发。
在过去一个月里，布莱恩特令人摸不着头脑的“扣篮易普症”已经成为马刺更衣室里源源不断的笑料。
他在四周内扣丢了五次。在1月8日战胜洛杉矶湖人队的比赛中，当布莱恩特看似终于扣进一球时，他却不知怎地因自己进攻干扰球而被判无效。
上周，在球队领袖维克托·文班亚马和凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 出于好玩决定剃光头后，三位马刺老将——福克斯、哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 和朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) ——向布莱恩特发出了最后通牒：
再扣丢三个，不管你愿不愿意，也得跟我们一样剃光头。
“他跳得那么高，不应该扣丢篮，”尚帕尼说。“如果我有他那种弹跳力，我可不会扣丢。所以看到他在场上扣篮不进，我觉得这对我是一种冒犯。”
这一直是布莱恩特及其神秘的“扣篮恐惧症”的症结所在。去年六月，马刺队之所以用乐透签选中这位来自亚利桑那大学的20岁年轻人，正是因为他那双堪比弹簧单高跷的双腿。
同样，卡特那肉眼可见的超强运动能力，也是主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 在这位新秀一次又一次扣篮失手时仍能保持淡定的原因。
“到后来你只能一笑了之了，”约翰逊说。“因为你知道他扣进只是时间问题，而不是能不能的问题。”
随着扣丢的次数越来越多，布莱恩特自己可不怎么笑得出来了。
在周一以123-110战胜犹他爵士队的比赛中，他终于“开张”了。而且还不止一次。
布莱恩特的第一次扣篮发生在上半场，他接到卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 的传球，双手将球轻柔而稳妥地放进篮筐。
科内特的庆祝动作，仿佛马刺刚赢下一场季后赛。
“卢克的庆祝动作是A级的，”布莱恩特说。
但这与接下来的场面相比，简直是小巫见大巫。
第四节马刺队势如破竹，布莱恩特在一端完成一次抢断，然后将球传给前方的福克斯发起快攻。
这位马刺队速度最快的球员稍稍放慢了脚步，刚好让布莱恩特跟上，然后像挑衅一般将球抛向篮筐。
福克斯发誓，他传这一球并不是为了加速布莱恩特与理发椅的约会。
“我没那么在乎他的头发，”福克斯说。“我只想赢下比赛。”
布莱恩特接受了这个挑战，而就在上周，这个挑战还可能让他手足无措。他高高跃起，完成了这次空中接力，将马刺队的领先优势扩大到20分。
即便在这两次救赎性的扣篮之前，身高6英尺6英寸的布莱恩特就表示，他并没有让近期连续的扣篮不中影响到自己。
“我对自己充满信心，也付出了巨大的努力，”布莱恩特说。“扣丢几个球又不是世界末日。就算我再扣丢六个，我可能也只会想，‘好吧，看来我得剃光头了。’”
2026年1月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，霜岸中心球馆，圣安东尼奥马刺队的卡特·布莱恩特在上半场突破波特兰开拓者队的赛德·西索科 (Side Cissoko)。
布莱恩特这两记让人松了一口气的扣篮，是他NBA生涯至今最出色一晚的缩影。他全场拿下赛季新高的11分，并抢下3个篮板，还贡献了2次盖帽和1次抢断。
布莱恩特对阵爵士队的表现向马刺队友们证明了一些东西：这位新秀既开得起玩笑，也经得起敲打。
“他坚持下来了，”福克斯说。“他运动能力极强，也知道我们信任他。我们希望他继续冲击篮下，保持侵略性。”
约翰逊教练表示，他为布莱恩特在过去几周成功应对来自马刺更衣室的各种调侃和压力而感到骄傲。
“不然你还能怎么办呢？”约翰逊说。“如果他的扣篮能力本身就值得怀疑，那他可能会更敏感一些。但我们已经看过足够多的表现，知道他会没事的。”
确实，到目前为止，布莱恩特保住了他的理智——也保住了他的头发。
但只是暂时。
卡特·布莱恩特谈终于完成扣篮，不用剃光头了 pic.twitter.com/BWC3FOjrvZ
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) January 20, 2026
请记住，马刺更衣室里这个赌约的关键点从来不在于布莱恩特是否能扣进，而只在于他是否会扣丢。
他头上的“悬赏”依然有效，并将持续整个赛季。
“这个赌约一直有效，”前锋哈里森·巴恩斯说。“他还有大把时间被剃光头呢。”
眼下，布莱恩特将继续在他的新秀赛季中学习和成长，他知道队友们会支持他。
即便他们正虎视眈眈地盯着他的头发。
“我们可以拿这些事开玩笑，”福克斯说。“但在场上到了剑拔弩张的时刻，没人会担心这个。我们会等比赛打完了再取笑他。”
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：Spurs' Carter Bryant keeps dunking, even with a price on his head
Spurs’ Carter Bryant keeps dunking, even with a price on his head
Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against Utah Jazz in the second half at Frost Bank Center on January 19, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
Late in the fourth quarter Monday, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox was ahead on a fast break when he decided to do the meanest, most diabolical thing he could think of.
He tossed the ball in front of the rim for a trailing Carter Bryant, and dared the rookie to dunk it.
Victor Wembanyama (1) of the San Antonio Spurs confers with teammates Dylan Harper (2), De’Aaron Fox (4), Carter Bryant (11) in game against Utah Jazz in the second half at Frost Bank Center on January 19, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
“I didn’t think he was going to throw it at all,” Bryant said. “He trusted me, so that’s good.”
Those who have followed the ongoing saga of Bryant and the high-flying forward’s inexplicable inability to complete a dunk this season understand exactly how devilish Fox’s alley-oop pass was.
For starters, it could have cost Bryant his hair.
In the past month, Bryant’s head-scratching dunk yips had become an overflowing source of comic relief in the Spurs’ locker room.
He had missed five of them in the span of four weeks. When Bryant finally seemed to have made one in a Jan. 8 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, he somehow found a way to have it waved off via his own basket interference.
After team leaders Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson decided to shave their heads last week for fun, a trio of Spurs veterans – Fox, Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie – came to Bryant with an ultimatum:
Three more missed dunks, and you’re going bald too. Like it or not.
“He jumps too high to be missing dunks,” Champagnie said. “If I had that kind of bounce, I wouldn’t be missing dunks. So I feel offended that he’s out there missing dunks.”
Therein has always lied the rub of Bryant and his mysterious case of slamdunkaphobia. The Spurs tabbed the 20-year-old from Arizona as a lottery draft pick last June precisely due to the pogo sticks he calls his legs.
Likewise, Carter’s obvious and outsized athleticism is the reason why coach Mitch Johnson didn’t flinch when the newbie kept blowing dunk after dunk.
“It gets to the point where you just chuckle,” Johnson said. “Because it’s not a matter of if, just when.”
As the missed dunks piled up, Bryant wasn’t chuckling so much.
He at last broke the seal in Monday’s 123-110 victory over Utah. Then he did it again.
Bryant’s first dunk came in the first half, when he grabbed a pass from Luke Kornet and softly and safely dropped the ball through the net with two hands.
Kornet celebrated as if the Spurs had just won a playoff game.
“Luke has A-tier celebrations,” Bryant said.
That was nothing compared to what was to come.
With the Spurs rolling in the fourth quarter, Bryant swiped a steal at one end and dished ahead to the Fox to start a fast break.
The Spurs’ speediest player slowed down just long enough to allow Bryant to catch up, then lofted the ball toward the basket like a taunt.
Fox swears the pass was not meant to hasten Bryant’s date with the barber’s chair.
“I don’t care about his hair that much,” Fox said. “I’m trying to win games.”
Bryant took on a challenge that as recently as last week might have flummoxed him, soaring through the air to complete an alley-oop that put the Spurs ahead by 20.
Even before his two dunks of redemption, the 6-foot-6 Bryant said he didn’t let his recent rash of missed slams get to him.
“I just believe in myself too much and work too hard,” Bryant said. “Missed dunks is not going to be the end of the world. I could have missed six more and I would have been like, ‘Oh well, I guess I’m bald now.’”
Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs drives on Side Cissoko of the Portland Trailblazers in the first half at Frost Bank Center on January 3, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
Bryant’s pair of sigh-of-relief jams were part of his best night in the NBA so far. He finished with a season-high 11 points, grabbed three rebounds and registered two blocks and a steal.
Bryant’s outing against the Jazz showed his fellow Spurs something. The rookie can take a joke as well as he can take a punch.
“He’s sticking with it,” Fox said. “He’s extremely athletic, and he knows we trust him. We want him to continue to get downhill and be aggressive.”
Johnson said he was proud of the way Bryant navigated the slings and arrows of the Spurs’ locker room the past several weeks.
“What else are you gonna do?” Johnson said. “It may be a little more sensitive if he was a questionable dunker. We’ve seen enough that we knew he would be OK.”
Indeed, Bryant has so far kept his head — and his hair — intact.
For now.
Carter Bryant on finally getting down a dunk and not having to shave his head pic.twitter.com/BWC3FOjrvZ
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) January 20, 2026
Remember, the ongoing bet in the Spurs’ locker room has nothing to do with whether Bryant makes dunks. Only if he misses them.
The price is still on his head and will be for the remainder of the season.
“That’s a standing offer,” forward Harrison Barnes said. “There’s plenty of time for him to have his head shaved.”
For now, Bryant will continue to learn and grow through his rookie season knowing his teammates have his back.
Even as they come after his head.
“We can joke about those things,” Fox said. “But when we’re out there in the heat of the moment nobody is worried about it. We’ll make fun of him after.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News