The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend is here, and basketball fans across the world are getting ready for one of the most exciting events of the weekend, the Slam Dunk Contest. This year’s competition features four talented dunkers, including San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant. The 20-year-old forward has been turning heads with his explosive athleticism and high-flying dunks throughout his rookie season.
With a shared last name and California roots, many fans have been wondering if there’s a family connection between Carter Bryant and the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. The question has been buzzing on social media ever since the Spurs selected Carter with the 14th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
As Carter prepares to compete tonight at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, let’s clear up the confusion and learn more about who this exciting young player really is.
What Is Carter Bryant’s Relationship With Kobe Bryant?
Let’s get straight to the point: Carter Bryant and Kobe Bryant are not related. Despite sharing the same last name and both playing basketball in California, there is no family connection between the two. Their family trees don’t cross at all.
Carter Dayne Bryant was born on November 26, 2005, in Riverside, California, when Kobe was already an established NBA superstar. While Kobe spent part of his childhood in Italy because his father Joe “Jellybean” Bryant played professional basketball there, Carter’s upbringing was completely different. His family has no NBA lineage and never lived overseas.
Carter comes from a rich cultural background that blends African-American and Latino heritage. His father, D’Cean Bryant, played college basketball at Long Beach State in the late 1990s. After his playing career ended, D’Cean became a high school basketball coach and coached Carter at multiple schools, including Fountain Valley High School and Sage Hill School in Newport Beach.
Carter’s mother, Sabrina Torres, is a professional sign language interpreter with proud Latino roots. What makes Carter’s background truly special is his deep connection to the deaf community. Sabrina grew up as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), and both of Carter’s grandparents are deaf. His grandfather, Mike “Doc” Torres, is in the USA Deaf Basketball Hall of Fame and played basketball at Gallaudet University.
His grandmother, Shelly Freed, is a longtime educator at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside. Carter has openly embraced all aspects of his heritage, saying he wants to represent the Latino, deaf, Riverside, California, and African-American communities. This unique background has shaped him into the person he is today, someone who plays with passion and purpose.
In his rookie season with the Spurs, Carter has appeared in 43 games and has seen his role increase in February. So far this month, he’s averaging 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting well from three-point range. He recorded a career-high 16 points against the Lakers on February 11.
Tonight, Carter will compete against Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, Heat forward Keshad Johnson, and Magic guard Jase Richardson (son of two-time Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson) for the title.
