Michael Jordan
Height: 6'6"
Year: 1987
Round 3, Dunk 3
Score: 50
MJ called this one the 'Kiss the Rim' dunk. Ironic then, that it was his poor scoring as a judge 20 years later that caused Dwight Howard to be eliminated in the first round in 2007 denying us from ever getting to see a real Kiss-the-Rim dunk done in competition as a result. But that's a complaint for another day. And, even though MJ doesn't actually kiss the rim on this dunk, that doesn't change the fact that it's still breathtaking. The height, the grace, the lean. I don't know if it would do well in today's competition, but it's still one of my all-time favourites.
#9
Andre Iguodala
Height: 6'6"
Year: 2006
Round 1, Dunk 2
Score: 50
Not only was this an entirely new concept at the time, but it's also a spectacular dunk to boot. No one had thrown the pass off the reverse side of the backboard at this point in competition before, and the hang time and skill that Iggy used to finish off the feat had everyone ready to hand the trophy over to him right then and there. Just one more argument in my favour as to why he was robbed of the title in 2006.
#8
Dwight Howard
Height: 6'11"
Year: 2007
Round 1, Dunk 2
Score: 42
Speaking of robbed... I alluded to this dunk briefly in the #10 blurb, but it bears repeating. Dwight was robbed more than any other man in contest history on this dunk. Not only did it eliminate him from advancing to the next round, but I mean, just look at it. It was easily the best dunk in the entire competition that year, and yet it was given the 5th lowest score. If anything, this is an argument towards letting the judges see the instant replay before giving their scores. If any of them had seen and realized what this dunk fully entailed, no one would have been holding up an 8 on their score card like Mike, Doc and Dominique did.
#7
Nate Robinson
Height: 5'9"
Year: 2009
Round 2, Dunk 2
Score: n/a (fan voting)
I love the idea of jumping over a guy that's stranding straight up and then dunking. We first saw it in competition (not counting college) when Nate leap-frogged Spud in 2006, but I mean, Spud is 5'7". It's still impressive, but it's not like he's jumping over a guy 6'11" or anything... until now. A 5'9" guy jumping over a guy that's 6'11"? If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I never would have believed it was possible. Granted, he doesn't clear him as cleanly as he did Spud, Dwight had to duck a bit and Nate used his off-arm (not much, but he did use it) to make it happen, but I don't care. It's still sexy. Bonus points to Dwight as well, who agreed to let Nate do the dunk, essentially giving him the edge he needed to take the trophy.
#6
Vince Carter
Height: 6'6"
Year: 2000
Round 1, Dunk 1
Score: 50
The Moon Landing, The Kennedy Assassination, The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Those were moments that definied an entire generation, and made people remember exactly where they were when they happened. I wasn't alive for any of them, but I will always remember where I was when Vince threw down his first dunk in 2000. This was the Pearl Harbour of my generation. (I might be over-stating this a little bit, what with 9/11 and all, but for the sake of this list, you'll have to grant me a little exaggeratory leniency.) By this point, Vince had already become the most exciting dunker in the NBA in the short time that he had spent in the league, so he was easily the favourite going into the competition. But you never know, right? He could have missed his first dunk, or come out and done a safe, easy dunk. But he didn't. Instead he brought the house down and never looked back. Sure, picky guys like Randy will claim that he cheated on his take off, and that it's not a true 360º, but for the rest of us (those not jaded and bitter by the poor hand dealt to them by life), those of us that can appreciate a thing of beauty without having to immediately jump all over it's flaws - the true fans of the dunk - this one is forever etched in our minds.
#5
Dwight Howard
Height: 6'11"
Year: 2008
Round 2, Dunk 1
Score: n/a (fan voting)
Dwight is one of the most creative dunkers in contest history. When everyone was saying that we'd seen it all, that no new dunks could ever be done, he was coming up with fresh ones year-after-year. Most of the time it was a gimmick (Superman, 12 foot hoop, the sticker dunk, etc...) and although those are still very good dunks, at the end of the day, I prefer a great dunk over a great gimmick. Which is where this dunk comes in. Not only is it something we had never seen before, but it's also simply a perfect combination of athleticism, creativity and dunking prowess. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this dunk would be to do (let alone think up), yet he makes it look so easy. Simply put, this is the best dunk Dwight ever did.
#4
Shawn Kemp
Height: 6'10"
Year: 1991
Round 3, Dunk 2
Score: 45.7
I loved Shawn Kemp. Olajuwon may have been my first school-yard crush, but Kemp was my first true love. I used to watch my Shawn Kemp: The Reign Man VHS tape every day (sometimes twice) after school and I bet I could recite it to you, word-for-word, even though it was stolen in 1999 and I haven't seen it since. We shared the same birthday, his middle name was Travis, and he even started wearing the same jersey number as me once he was traded to the Cavs. How could I not love him? But like all first loves, it was not meant to be. He started fathering illegitimate children as though he was going for the high score, stopped playing hard while he was pouting over his contract, and developed a cocaine habit that pretty much ruined any chance he had at a Hall of Fame career. It was like we went to prom together, then attended different colleges, only to see each other at Christmas again, and she* had put on 40 pounds, cut her beautiful long hair and got a prominent, horrible tattoo during a regret-filled night of drinking. But I will always look back on him fondly and remember the good times. The one-step-in-from-the-foul-line-cock-it-all-the-way-back-and-kick-your-legs-to-perfection times.
*sorry, but I needed to use the female pronoun here, having declared my 'love' for this man one too many times already in this post.
#3
Jason Richardson
I've talked in the past about how difficult it is to do a between-the-legs dunk without cheating the ball through your legs on your way up. Whether it's off the bounce or off the ground, that's how most guys do it. That's why you rarely see a high lob, and it's why you never see it off the backboard. Until now. Going into 2004, we thought we had seen all there was to see in the between-the-legs era, but Jason Richardson had one more classic left in the tank for us (well, two if you count his even more spectacular miss on his next attempt). Simply put, he perfected the East Bay dunk, and this was the epitome of that.
#2
Vince Carter
Height: 6'6"
Year: 2000
Round 1, Dunk 3
Score: 50
Orlando Woolridge, Isaiah Rider and Kobe Bryant. Those are the guys that had done a between-the-legs dunk in competition leading up to the 2000 event. I was going to count how many people have done a between-the-legs dunk since, but quite frankly, the prospect was overwhelming. If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then Vince Carter should never stop blushing. So what changed? If it took 10 years for Isaiah to do one after Orlando and then another 3 before Kobe brought it out, then why did Vince's dunk start the between-the-legs revolution? Well, for starters, not only did Vince add the bounce, but in doing so, he blew away what everyone thought was possible, and in the process spawned an entire generation of between-the-legs dunkers. Sure, technically speaking, this dunk isn't as good as the Richardson dunk at #3, but Richardson was standing on the shoulders of greatness when he thought of that, and more than Orlando, Isaiah or Kobe, I think the shoulders on which he stood clearly belonged to Vince Carter.
#1
Michael Jordan
Height: 6'6"
Year: 1987 / 1988
Round 2, Dunk 1 / Round 3, Dunk 3
Score: 49 / 50
I've thought about this long and hard. Not about whether this is the number one dunk of all time, because I think it easily is, but which version of this dunk most epitomizes it. You see, MJ did four different foul line dunks during his three appearances in the contest. The one in '85 was pretty basic, and could easily be ruled out of contention, but the one he did in '87 and the two in '88 were essentially the same great dunk. This is nothing new, as many players have had repeat dunks over the years (although twice in one contest is a little lame in my eyes, even if it is slightly forgivable seeing that you had to do nine dunks back than compared to four today...) so during the course of the list, I've tried to pick the best of the repeat dunks and use it as the representation of that dunk. Dominique did the windmill 5 or 6 times over the years, but it was never better then in '88, so that is the one that made the list. I think you would agree with this mind-set, rather than having three versions of the same dunk ranked 1, 2 and 3 on this list, no? So I settled on the 1987 version to represent it, and was happy with that right up until it came time to post. I watched '88 again, and was instantly back to square one. They're both so good (I ruled out the earlier one from '88 simply because they never showed a good replay of it) and I decided to just bite the bullet and go with both of them.
(As such, I feel it's important to now update the entry for #18 as well.)
Height: 6'6"
Year: 1987
Round 3, Dunk 3
Score: 50
MJ called this one the 'Kiss the Rim' dunk. Ironic then, that it was his poor scoring as a judge 20 years later that caused Dwight Howard to be eliminated in the first round in 2007 denying us from ever getting to see a real Kiss-the-Rim dunk done in competition as a result. But that's a complaint for another day. And, even though MJ doesn't actually kiss the rim on this dunk, that doesn't change the fact that it's still breathtaking. The height, the grace, the lean. I don't know if it would do well in today's competition, but it's still one of my all-time favourites.
Andre Iguodala
Height: 6'6"
Year: 2006
Round 1, Dunk 2
Score: 50
Not only was this an entirely new concept at the time, but it's also a spectacular dunk to boot. No one had thrown the pass off the reverse side of the backboard at this point in competition before, and the hang time and skill that Iggy used to finish off the feat had everyone ready to hand the trophy over to him right then and there. Just one more argument in my favour as to why he was robbed of the title in 2006.
Dwight Howard
Height: 6'11"
Year: 2007
Round 1, Dunk 2
Score: 42
Speaking of robbed... I alluded to this dunk briefly in the #10 blurb, but it bears repeating. Dwight was robbed more than any other man in contest history on this dunk. Not only did it eliminate him from advancing to the next round, but I mean, just look at it. It was easily the best dunk in the entire competition that year, and yet it was given the 5th lowest score. If anything, this is an argument towards letting the judges see the instant replay before giving their scores. If any of them had seen and realized what this dunk fully entailed, no one would have been holding up an 8 on their score card like Mike, Doc and Dominique did.
Nate Robinson
Height: 5'9"
Year: 2009
Round 2, Dunk 2
Score: n/a (fan voting)
I love the idea of jumping over a guy that's stranding straight up and then dunking. We first saw it in competition (not counting college) when Nate leap-frogged Spud in 2006, but I mean, Spud is 5'7". It's still impressive, but it's not like he's jumping over a guy 6'11" or anything... until now. A 5'9" guy jumping over a guy that's 6'11"? If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I never would have believed it was possible. Granted, he doesn't clear him as cleanly as he did Spud, Dwight had to duck a bit and Nate used his off-arm (not much, but he did use it) to make it happen, but I don't care. It's still sexy. Bonus points to Dwight as well, who agreed to let Nate do the dunk, essentially giving him the edge he needed to take the trophy.
Vince Carter
Height: 6'6"
Year: 2000
Round 1, Dunk 1
Score: 50
The Moon Landing, The Kennedy Assassination, The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Those were moments that definied an entire generation, and made people remember exactly where they were when they happened. I wasn't alive for any of them, but I will always remember where I was when Vince threw down his first dunk in 2000. This was the Pearl Harbour of my generation. (I might be over-stating this a little bit, what with 9/11 and all, but for the sake of this list, you'll have to grant me a little exaggeratory leniency.) By this point, Vince had already become the most exciting dunker in the NBA in the short time that he had spent in the league, so he was easily the favourite going into the competition. But you never know, right? He could have missed his first dunk, or come out and done a safe, easy dunk. But he didn't. Instead he brought the house down and never looked back. Sure, picky guys like Randy will claim that he cheated on his take off, and that it's not a true 360º, but for the rest of us (those not jaded and bitter by the poor hand dealt to them by life), those of us that can appreciate a thing of beauty without having to immediately jump all over it's flaws - the true fans of the dunk - this one is forever etched in our minds.
Dwight Howard
Height: 6'11"
Year: 2008
Round 2, Dunk 1
Score: n/a (fan voting)
Dwight is one of the most creative dunkers in contest history. When everyone was saying that we'd seen it all, that no new dunks could ever be done, he was coming up with fresh ones year-after-year. Most of the time it was a gimmick (Superman, 12 foot hoop, the sticker dunk, etc...) and although those are still very good dunks, at the end of the day, I prefer a great dunk over a great gimmick. Which is where this dunk comes in. Not only is it something we had never seen before, but it's also simply a perfect combination of athleticism, creativity and dunking prowess. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this dunk would be to do (let alone think up), yet he makes it look so easy. Simply put, this is the best dunk Dwight ever did.
Shawn Kemp
Height: 6'10"
Year: 1991
Round 3, Dunk 2
Score: 45.7
I loved Shawn Kemp. Olajuwon may have been my first school-yard crush, but Kemp was my first true love. I used to watch my Shawn Kemp: The Reign Man VHS tape every day (sometimes twice) after school and I bet I could recite it to you, word-for-word, even though it was stolen in 1999 and I haven't seen it since. We shared the same birthday, his middle name was Travis, and he even started wearing the same jersey number as me once he was traded to the Cavs. How could I not love him? But like all first loves, it was not meant to be. He started fathering illegitimate children as though he was going for the high score, stopped playing hard while he was pouting over his contract, and developed a cocaine habit that pretty much ruined any chance he had at a Hall of Fame career. It was like we went to prom together, then attended different colleges, only to see each other at Christmas again, and she* had put on 40 pounds, cut her beautiful long hair and got a prominent, horrible tattoo during a regret-filled night of drinking. But I will always look back on him fondly and remember the good times. The one-step-in-from-the-foul-line-cock-it-all-the-way-back-and-kick-your-legs-to-perfection times.
*sorry, but I needed to use the female pronoun here, having declared my 'love' for this man one too many times already in this post.
Jason Richardson
Height: 6'6"
Year: 2004
Round 1, Dunk 2
Score: 50
I've talked in the past about how difficult it is to do a between-the-legs dunk without cheating the ball through your legs on your way up. Whether it's off the bounce or off the ground, that's how most guys do it. That's why you rarely see a high lob, and it's why you never see it off the backboard. Until now. Going into 2004, we thought we had seen all there was to see in the between-the-legs era, but Jason Richardson had one more classic left in the tank for us (well, two if you count his even more spectacular miss on his next attempt). Simply put, he perfected the East Bay dunk, and this was the epitome of that.
Vince Carter
Height: 6'6"
Year: 2000
Round 1, Dunk 3
Score: 50
Orlando Woolridge, Isaiah Rider and Kobe Bryant. Those are the guys that had done a between-the-legs dunk in competition leading up to the 2000 event. I was going to count how many people have done a between-the-legs dunk since, but quite frankly, the prospect was overwhelming. If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then Vince Carter should never stop blushing. So what changed? If it took 10 years for Isaiah to do one after Orlando and then another 3 before Kobe brought it out, then why did Vince's dunk start the between-the-legs revolution? Well, for starters, not only did Vince add the bounce, but in doing so, he blew away what everyone thought was possible, and in the process spawned an entire generation of between-the-legs dunkers. Sure, technically speaking, this dunk isn't as good as the Richardson dunk at #3, but Richardson was standing on the shoulders of greatness when he thought of that, and more than Orlando, Isaiah or Kobe, I think the shoulders on which he stood clearly belonged to Vince Carter.
Michael Jordan
Height: 6'6"
Year: 1987 / 1988
Round 2, Dunk 1 / Round 3, Dunk 3
Score: 49 / 50
I've thought about this long and hard. Not about whether this is the number one dunk of all time, because I think it easily is, but which version of this dunk most epitomizes it. You see, MJ did four different foul line dunks during his three appearances in the contest. The one in '85 was pretty basic, and could easily be ruled out of contention, but the one he did in '87 and the two in '88 were essentially the same great dunk. This is nothing new, as many players have had repeat dunks over the years (although twice in one contest is a little lame in my eyes, even if it is slightly forgivable seeing that you had to do nine dunks back than compared to four today...) so during the course of the list, I've tried to pick the best of the repeat dunks and use it as the representation of that dunk. Dominique did the windmill 5 or 6 times over the years, but it was never better then in '88, so that is the one that made the list. I think you would agree with this mind-set, rather than having three versions of the same dunk ranked 1, 2 and 3 on this list, no? So I settled on the 1987 version to represent it, and was happy with that right up until it came time to post. I watched '88 again, and was instantly back to square one. They're both so good (I ruled out the earlier one from '88 simply because they never showed a good replay of it) and I decided to just bite the bullet and go with both of them.
(As such, I feel it's important to now update the entry for #18 as well.)
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