While we love three pointers as much as anyone else, there’s really nothing on a basketball court quite like a dunk. One resounding slam has the ability to swing the momentum of an entire game, get the crowd fired up, and to immortalize both the dunkers (like Blake Griffin or Michael Jordan) and those being dunked on (like Alton Lister or Frederic Weis).
The best of these dunkers can certainly be some of the game’s best players; Jordan or Julius Erving are certainly too shining examples of that. But, as we’ve learned you don’t always have to be a great basketball player to be a great dunker. Gerald Green—who has now finally started to find a groove in the league—has played for seven franchises, and birthday boy Harold Miner won two Slam Dunk Contests and was out of the league in four years.
In honor of flash-in-the-pan Miner’s birthday, we want to examine the most elite of all these high flyers. Some made their names in the Slam Dunk Contest, others in real games, and a select few in both. One thing they all share in common, though, is they can jump right out of the gym and clearly have a flair for the dramatic. These are the Best Dunkers in NBA History.
While we love three pointers as much as anyone else, there’s really nothing on a basketball court quite like a dunk. One resounding slam has the ability to swing the momentum of an entire game, get the crowd fired up, and to immortalize both the dunkers (like Blake Griffin or Michael Jordan) and those being dunked on (like Alton Lister or Frederic Weis).
The best of these dunkers can certainly be some of the game’s best players; Jordan or Julius Erving are certainly too shining examples of that. But, as we’ve learned you don’t always have to be a great basketball player to be a great dunker. Gerald Green—who has now finally started to find a groove in the league—has played for seven franchises, and birthday boy Harold Miner won two Slam Dunk Contests and was out of the league in four years.
In honor of flash-in-the-pan Miner’s birthday, we want to examine the most elite of all these high flyers. Some made their names in the Slam Dunk Contest, others in real games, and a select few in both. One thing they all share in common, though, is they can jump right out of the gym and clearly have a flair for the dramatic. These are the Best Dunkers in NBA History.
20. Spud Webb
Career: 1985-1998
Team(s): Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic
Dunking-related accolades: 1x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
It's hard not to think of Spud Webb's Slam Dunk Contest wins as more than a gimmick, but even in a vacuum his dunks from that famous win in 1986 are quite good. Webb—who could dunk a ball beginning when he was 5' 3" thanks to an absurd vertical leap—earned his title not by beating some lowly competition, either, but by knocking off teammate Dominique Wilkins in the finals. While Webb's small stature undoubtedly helped his cause a little, his talent was truly what put him over the top.
19. Shaquille O'Neal
Career: 1992-2011
Team(s): Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics
Dunking-related accolades: Two broken backboards
Though The Big Diesel didn't have as much grace and athleticism as other dunkers on this list, he more than made up for it with sheer power. NBA rims weren't made for 7-foot, 300 pounders who could throw down.
19. Scottie Pippen
Career: 1987-2008
Team(s): Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers
Dunking-related accolades: None
Much like in pretty much all other conversations revolving around the 1990s Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen kind of gets pushed to the side when talking about great dunkers. But that doesn't mean it's OK to sleep on this all-time great, who in addition to using his length and athleticism to become one of the great defenders in history also could absolutely fly through their air if needed. He even participated in the 1990 Slam Dunk Contest, although he was eliminated in the first round of the competition.
17. Harold Miner
Career: 1992-1996
Team(s): Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers
Dunking-related accolades: 2x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
The birthday boy was given a tough legacy to live up to when he was tabbed "Baby Jordan" coming out of high school. For Harold Miner, though, there was one area of his game where he actually did live up to that title: dunking. Miner's prolific performances in the dunk contest displayed the kind of athleticism that makes scouts drool, but for whatever reason that success with no defenders around him and no need to dribble did not translate in the actual games. As a result, he was out of the league within
16. Larry Nance
Career: 1981-1994
Team(s): Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers
Dunking-related accolades: 1x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
Larry Nance is a bit of a forgotten legend of the dunk contest; he won the NBA's reboot of the competition in 1984, knocking off Julius Erving in the finals and earning himself one of the most dated nicknames of all-time, "The High-Ayatolla of Slamola." Nance had a very long career due to his incredible consistency and ability to get to the rim, and he routinely finished among the league leaders in shooting percentage. For his career, he put up an outstanding .546 mark and his slim build would have made him an effective player at the power forward slot in the modern game.
15. Darryl Dawkins
Career: 1975-2000
Team(s): Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons
Dunking-related accolades: None
Darryl Dawkins had one of the era's great nicknames ("Chocolate Thunder"), and is a pioneer in that his raw power is what caused the NBA to begin using breakaway rims. Dawkins is certainly best known for his backboard-shattering slams, which he was most definitely doing intentionally. He also nicknamed basically every single one of his dunks, and the a major reason he is not held in higher esteem for the many athletic jams he threw down during his career is simply because he played in the pre-dunk contest era.
14. Kenny Walker
Career: 1986-1997
Team(s): New York Knicks, Washington Bullets
Dunking-related accolades: 1x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
Kenny "Sky" Walker (great nickname) was a tremendous competitor and dunker early in his career, until knee injuries began to limit his game and eventually caused him to head overseas. His jaw-dropping leap ability made it look like he was going to win the Slam Dunk Contest every year, although his only title came in 1989 (he did knock off favorite Clyde Drexler in the finals at least). He actually never competed against Jordan in the contest, and only went up against Dominique in 1990, when Wilkins won the title.
13. Desmond Mason
Career: 2000-2009
Team(s): Seattle SuperSonics, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings
Dunking-related accolades: 1x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
A Slam Dunk Contest winner in 2001 and runner-up in 2003, Desmond Mason was a wickedly talented leaper who also got it done above the rim during games. In addition to winning the 2001 Dunk Contest, he had several highlight-reel worthy dunks during the regular run of play. He was able to parlay that into a solid 10 year career, finding work all over the league as a solid swingman who could score double-digit points per game in addition to providing a couple monster jams per year.
12. Gerald Green
Career: 2005-Present
Team(s): Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns
Dunking-related accolades: 1x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
Quite simply, we’re not sure if we’ve ever seen anybody jump higher than Gerald Green. It is an elite skill that he does better than basically anybody in the league, and as a rookie Green immediately demonstrated why people were so excited to see him play. Throughout the many ups and downs of his career, he has always been good for a couple gravity-defying highlights per season. Green really is one of those guys who, just when it looks like he’s reached the apex of his jump, continues to rise another couple of inches.
11. Clyde Drexler
Career: 1983-1998
Team(s): Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets
Dunking-related accolades: None
There’s a reason Clyde Drexler was nicknamed “The Glide” and was the key member of the University of Houston’s “Phi Slamma Jamma” in college. In NBA history, there may never have been someone as smooth or graceful when flying through the air as Drexler. He may not have always had the most spectacular looking dunks, but he made it all seem so easy and effortless that he is on a whole other level when it comes to in-game jams. He also had incredible leaping ability, making him a frequent target of lob passes when it was still a relatively novel concept for setting up dunks.
10. Blake Griffin
Career: 2009-Present
Team(s): Los Angeles Clippers
Dunking-related accolades: 1x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
There’s plenty of controversy and skepticism surrounding Blake Griffin’s win in the 2011 dunk contest, and we actually support those who say JaVale McGee was robbed. However, Blake still is on this list with no question because of his incredible in-game dunks. He plays in the perfect era, too, as any highlight of his immediately makes its way onto YouTube and is available from any angle. “The Mosgov” and “The Perkins” were accessible within seconds of them happening, making Griffin perhaps the most ubiquitous dunker in history.
9. David Thompson
Career: 1975-1984
Team(s): Denver Nuggets, Seattle SuperSonics
Dunking-related accolades: None
David Thompson’s all-too-short career including some simply jaw-dropping feats of athleticism, and it make him one of the 1970s’ most prolific dunkers. He was a finalist in the first-ever Slam Dunk Contest in 1976 while playing in the ABA, falling to Julius Erving in the finals thanks to Dr. J’s free throw line dunk. However, many regard Thompson as the superior dunker that night, citing his warmup routine as far more difficult than anything attempted in the contest itself.
8. Jason Richardson
Career: 2001-Present
Team(s): Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers
Dunking-related accolades: 2x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
Jason Richardson’s name doesn’t often get mentioned in the pantheon of all-time great dunkers, but we’d submit that his Slam Dunk Contest wins in 2002 and especially 2003 are two of the best performances the competition has ever seen. That first dunk in 2003 simply defies all laws of physics, gravity, common sense, and pretty much anything else. It helped, too, that Richardson ended up being a solid all-around player with a long career, meaning he’s had his fair share of in-game highlight reel dunks as well.
7. LeBron James
Career: 2003-Present
Team(s): Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat
Dunking-related accolades: None
Memo to LeBron James: just do the Slam Dunk Contest. It’s not for you; it’s for the fans. We’ve all seen the ridiculous things he can do during games and in practice, and it’s time to take this into a competitive format. We’re sure he kind of enjoys the whole “will he or won’t he” dynamic, but at this point in terms of dunks there is nothing left for him to conquer. So LeBron, get it together. Give the people what they want.
6. Kobe Bryant
Career: 1996-Present
Team(s): Los Angeles Lakers
Dunking-related accolades: 1x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
It is somewhere near the bottom of his list of accolades, but Kobe Bryant is a former Slam Dunk Contest winner whose career really began to launch on the strength of his ability to fly above the rim. In addition to his penchant for late-game heroics, Bryant’s athleticism was the most frequent reason he was compared with Michael Jordan as a young player. While his high-flying days may largely behind him, Kobe can still bust out the occasional posterizing jam when needed.
5. Shawn Kemp
Career: 1989-2003
Team(s): Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic
Dunking-related accolades: None
The Alton Lister dunk alone might have put Shawn Kemp on this list, but the Reign Man was a transcendent dunking talent throughout his younger days. While he never won a Slam Dunk Contest, he participated for four years and missed a fifth due to injury, finishing in second place to Dee Brown in 1991. At 6' 10" and with a massive vertical leap, Kemp was almost impossible to stop when he went to the rim and had maximum time in the air to get creative with his jams.
4. Michael Jordan
Career: 1984-1993; 1995-1998; 2001-2003
Team(s): Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards
Dunking-related Accolades: 2x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
It's kind of unfair that the greatest player of all-time happens to be one of the greatest dunkers ever too, but there's no denying the breathtaking athleticism of young Michael Jordan and what he was able to do dunking a ball. He wasn't known as "His Airness" because of his jump shot, after all. Given how competitive Jordan was, too, he made a particular point to dunk on people as much as possible, it seems like just to hurt their feelings. His dunk contest duels with Dominique Wilkins were always memorable, and are held as the gold standard upon which all Slam Dunk Contests are judged.
3. Vince Carter
Career: 1998-Present
Team(s): Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks
Dunking-related accolades: 1x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
The young Vince Carter has a lot to be proud of on his dunking résumé: he had easily the greatest dunk in Olympic history (the infamous Frederic Weis stuff in the 2000 Sydney games), and also revived the Slam Dunk Contest in the NBA thanks to his transcendent performance in 2000. It was that success on such a big stage that made Carter a star and one of the most popular players in the league with fans. In fact, he made the All-Star team for eight years in a row between 2000 and 2007 based partially on the strength of that ardent support.
2. Julius Erving
Career: 1971-1987
Team(s): Virgina Squires (ABA), New York Nets (ABA), Philadelphia 76ers
Dunking-related accolades: 1x ABA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
The Godfather of the modern dunk is Julius Erving, and what is so incredible about Dr. J’s career as a dunker is that we don’t even have footage of his greatest years. The lack of cameras at many ABA games mean that some of Erving’s best throwdowns are literally the stuff of legend, feats of athleticism given life only by those who were there to witness. We do have footage, at least, of his win at the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest, and likewise remember his dunking feats when he did finally enter the NBA just months later.
1. Dominique Wilkins
Career: 1982-1999
Team(s): Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic
Dunking-related accolades: 2x NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
To earn the nickname "The Human Highlight Film" you have to be a pretty damn spectacular dunker, and that's precisely what Dominique Wilkins was. It wasn't just that he could get it done in the Slam Dunk Contest, either; Wilkins is perhaps the greatest in-game dunker of all-time, a man who would routinely go out of his way to dunk right in people's faces just to assert his dominance. He also genuinely cared about the outcome of the Slam Dunk Contest, saying recently in an interview that he still carries a grudge over losing to Michael Jordan in 1988.
