On the night of Feb. 8, 1997, at Gund Arena in Cleveland, an 18-year-old Lakers rookie walked into the building and left the entire field playing for second place before the competition even began. Chris Carr, who was then playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, recalled how Kobe Bryant casually pulled off an under-the-legs dunk during practice that none of the contestants had ever seen.

“I remember looking at Finley and saying, ‘If he does that tonight, we’re all playing for second,’” Carr recalled. Bryant never attempted the dunk during the contest and still walked away with the trophy. More than two decades later, Carr admitted he still wasn’t fully convinced the Lakers legend deserved the win. “I still don’t think that he beat me,” he joked in a retrospective interview. Nearly 30 years after that night in Cleveland, his son Cameron now finds himself wearing the same Lakers jersey Bryant made famous and already talking about finishing the job his father couldn’t.

In a pre-draft interview, Cameron Carr was asked whether he planned to avenge his father’s runner-up finish. The new Lakers rookie didn’t hesitate. “Oh, I have to. I feel like it’s only right,” Carr said. When asked whether he would actually enter the Slam Dunk Contest, he doubled down. “If they put me in the Slam Dunk Contest tomorrow, I will. Absolutely.”

Carr also credited his father for helping him navigate every stage of his basketball journey. “He played a big part in it. He kind of led the way for me, and any time that I needed help or advice to go in a certain direction, he was the one that kind of led me, because he’s been where I wanted to go. So he’s big time.”

The confidence is backed by one of the most explosive athletic profiles in the draft class. Carr posted a 42.5-inch max vertical at the NBA Draft Combine — one of the best marks recorded in Chicago — while also turning heads with a 30-point scrimmage performance. That athleticism carried over to Baylor, where he averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 49.4% from the field during his breakout season.

The Lakers saw enough to make sure he didn’t slip any further. Los Angeles moved up one spot on draft night, acquiring the No. 24 pick from the Knicks to select Carr after several evaluators projected him much higher. NBA insider Brett Siegel called him “a steal late in this draft,” while The Athletic’s Law Murray said he would “RUN, not walk” to make the selection for a Lakers team desperately seeking more athleticism on the wing.

Baylor coach Scott Drew believes the upside is obvious. “When it’s cooking, it’s fun to watch. He’s very skilled, as athletic as any player that we’ve had here,” Drew said.

Carr’s path to Los Angeles was anything but straightforward. Before becoming a first-round pick, he battled major setbacks at Tennessee, including a season-ending thumb injury and an abrupt departure from the program. Reflecting on the journey after being drafted, Carr admitted: “Everything. It took everything I’ve had to get here. Especially through high school and college. I’ve been as low as low can get and I’ve been as high as high can get, so it’s just a blessing.”

“He’s Been Where I Wanted to Go” – How Chris Carr’s NBA Journey Shaped the Rookie Heading to LA

Chris Carr was a second-round pick (56th overall) out of Southern Illinois, a mid-major program, who talked his way onto the Phoenix Suns’ opening-day roster and became a starter on a playoff-bound team within eight games of his rookie season. He spent six years in the league as a role player, a dunk contest finalist, and a professional who understood how to survive in the league.

Chris Carr had already experienced nearly every challenge professional basketball could throw at him — from fighting for roster spots as a second-round pick to finishing one dunk away from NBA All-Star Weekend history. When Cameron’s career stalled at Tennessee before finding new life at Baylor, that experience became invaluable. Now, nearly three decades after Chris watched Kobe Bryant soar to a Dunk Contest title, the Carr family has another chance to leave its mark on Lakers history.