Taipei: Two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Zach LaVine is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan early Friday for a series of basketball and charity events in Taoyuan over the weekend. In a press statement released on Thursday, the Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards announced that the 31-year-old two-time NBA All-Star will land at Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2 at 5:05 a.m. Friday.

According to Focus Taiwan, this marks the second consecutive summer the professional basketball team has invited an NBA star to Taiwan, following New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns' visit in 2025. LaVine, who was selected 13th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2014 NBA draft, achieved back-to-back dunk contest titles in 2015 and 2016, the latter following a memorable showdown with Aaron Gordon.

The two-time NBA All-Star joined the Sacramento Kings in February 2025 after spending over seven seasons with the Chicago Bulls. During the 2025-26 season, LaVine played 39 games for the Kings, averaging 19.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range.

His first public appearance in Taiwan will occur at the covered basketball court at Zhuwei Fishing Harbor from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, as stated by the Taoyuan city government. LaVine will serve as a judge for a dunk contest featuring six Taiwanese dunkers, providing on-site assessments of their performances.

The contest is a part of the 2026 Taoyuan Pearl Coast Music Festival, which aims to combine basketball with coastal tourism while giving local athletes a chance to showcase their skills in front of one of the NBA's renowned dunkers. Attendees of Saturday's event will also have an opportunity to be selected for a charity fan meeting with LaVine the following morning.

The charity meeting is set to begin at 10 a.m. Sunday in the second-floor grand ballroom of the Westin Tashee Resort Taoyuan in Daxi District, with LaVine expected to attend the entire event.