Oct 17, 2018; Sacramento, CA, USA; Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dunks the ball against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
11.
The athleticism of the NBA is at an all-time high. Bigs are hitting threes, small forwards are playing center, and guys are throwing down dunks that were previously only reserved for an All-Star game or the Slam Dunk contest. The rise in highlight-worthy dunks times up perfectly with the boom of social media.
Every morning, Instagram and Twitter feeds are flooded with clips of LeBron James dunking through people, Blake Griffin and Giannis Antetokounmpo climbing over defenders on their way to the rim, and Anthony Davis flushing any alley-oop attempt thrown his way. Don’t forget the young guys like Donovan Mitchell, Dennis Smith Jr., and Zach LaVine that are using their high-flying ability to put the league on notice.
The NBA, as you can tell, has a ton of high-flyers. But with so many options to choose from, what rim-rattlers are doing it better than the rest night in and night out? We decided It’s time to count down the the top 10 best in-game dunkers in the NBA.
10.Derrick Jones Jr.
If you don’t know who Derrick Jones Jr. is you won’t forget him after watching this jam he had against the Charlotte Hornets in October. Airplane Mode Jones participated in the 2017 Slam Dunk Contest and is starting to show off some of that same creativity above the rim during games. Former NBA player and current NBAPA Wellness Counselor Keyon Dooling likes what he’s seen from the 21-year-old, telling us, “He is explosive, creative and most of all tenacious.” That’s big respect coming from a guy who played with Vince Carter. Keep your eyes on the springy southpaw.
9.Aaron Gordon
Aaron Gordon is just 23 years old and already one of the most athletic players in the NBA. At 6’9”, he is always a prime candidate for a throw down off the lob. At the same time, he can also punish defenders off the bounce. The Orlando big man already had one of the best dunks in the league this year against the Detroit Pistons. Gordon paid tribute to the Mailman Karl Malone when he put his hand behind his head on this one-handed flush. He made Blake Griffin a spectator, and that’s not an easy thing to do.
8.Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is unlike anybody we’ve ever seen on a basketball court. He can drill threes, handle the rock, and jump through the roof on his way to the hole. The Brow is an immense in-game dunker, and he finishes at the rim in so many different ways. He can take your head off (sorry Ron Baker), put you in a body bag (look out Jarrett Allen), or stuff it right over you! The man has a 7’6” wingspan and is only 25 years old. Thoughts and prayers to all defenses around the league.
7.DeMar DeRozan
People forget that DeRozan is one of the smoothest dunkers in the game right now. The new Spurs guard reminded Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the league earlier this season. DeRozan is not a high volume dunker (only eight this year), but his trips above the cylinder are always memorable. He’s posterized some of the game’s best defensive bigs like Rudy Gobert and Tristan Thompson, and Anthony Tolliver is still probably mentally scarred from one of the greatest in-game flushes in the last five years.
6.Donovan Mitchell
It’s only Donovan Mitchell’s second season, yet he is already the star of the Utah Jazz and one of the premiere dunkers in the NBA. As a rookie, Mitchell won the Slam Dunk Contest, hung on the rim against the Rockets in the playoffs, and proved that he is a legit high-flyer. The 22-year-old has one of the best verticals in the NBA and is a force to be reckoned with when he comes down the lane. Just ask Maximilian Kleber and the Dallas Mavericks.
5.LeBron James
You can’t have a list of the game’s best dunkers without LeBron James. He emphatically began his Los Angeles Lakers career with two massive tomahawk flushes against the Portland Trailblazers. James is still catching bodies in his 16th NBA season at age 34, just ask the Atlanta Hawks. The three-time NBA champion electrifies crowds unlike anyone else. When flight No. 23 is in the air, clear the runway. The Denver Nuggets were wise to do that here. James registered over 100 dunks 12 times in his career and had a career high 145 during the 2016-2017 season.
4.Dennis Smith Jr.
“He does a dunk contest in game,” says Dooling, perfectly articulating why Dennis Smith Jr. is so high up on this list. The Mavericks guard has grabbed the attention of former NBA players like Dooling and Allen Iverson. The second-year guard is explosive off the hesitation dribble, and one of the most creative players in the air. Playing next to Luka Dončić will only help DSJ create more opportunities like this one.
3.Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin is one of the greatest in today’s NBA when it comes to the best in-game dunks. Injuries haven’t stopped Griffin from posterizing the entire league. His first NBA points came from a dunk, he was the centerpiece of Lob City in Los Angeles, and is still doing it big in Detroit. This is a man who dunked the ball over 200 times as a rookie and continues to make spectacular plays above the rim, even as he’s focused more on other parts of his game. Griffin redefined the in-game dunk in so many ways.
2.Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak has taken his game and his dunks to a whole different level in 2018. The Bucks star absolutely abused Griffin in a game earlier this month with a stuff right in his face. The MVP candidate topped it off by staring right into Griffin’s soul after the monster facial. Antetokounmpo can get from the 3-point line to the rim in two steps and is lethal above the rim with his left hand. Let’s not forget that people are still talking about his dunk over Tim Hardaway Jr. almost a year after it first happened.
1.Zach LaVine
It’s Zach LaVine and then everybody else when it comes to the best in-game dunker in the NBA. LaVine consistently makes it look like he is playing pick-up when he pulls out moves like the fastbreak 360 and the thunderous windmill. The 23-year-old is remarkably the league’s best dunker even after tearing his ACL in 2017. The two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion is always looking to climb the ladder and is literally the only reason to watch the Chicago Bulls play this year. The scary thing is we still haven’t seen the best of LaVine.