, Drexler was always much more graceful when flying through space. If you can impress LeBron James with a dunk, you're doing something right. Dawkins is clearly one of the least accomplished players named, but this list wouldn't exist without his contributions. But count me among the minority of the crowd more impressed with this yam on Kendrick Perkins. Kobe posterized everybody from the aforementioned Howard to Yao Ming to Steve Nash, and the vicious nature of his dunks often surprised teammates and opponents alike. The possibility and thrill of watching a dunk that seems to defy the laws of physics is ever present. Granted, LeBron would soon surpass Tracy McGrady in just about every way, but the point remains. MORE: Ranking the best Vince and MJ dunks. In addition, the Bulls and Pippen understood their greatness. That's why, on his most famous dunk, Pippen tried to shove Ewing and stood over him for a moment. The dunk linked above? History matters. His dunking ability helped the NBA move on from MJ and into a world in which a new wave of fans often consume popcorn highlights instead of entire games. Mad? Want more sports? LeBron James with a dunk, you're doing something right. Ultimately, I placed him third among this group because he didn't quite jump as high as Griffin nor as powerfully as Dawkins. So apologies to the Slam Dunk artists, if you weren't throwing down spectacularly in games, this isn't the list for you. If we celebrate LeBron James and Russell Westbrook for continuing to remain superathletes as they age, we owe Drexler the same retroactive appreciation. But it would be a dereliction of duty to not mention him. Richardson brought an element of excitement to two of his era's most exciting teams, first as a member of the 'We Believe' Warriors and then alongside Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire with the Phoenix Suns. Though he didn't say it outright, it seems he's still somewhat mystified by his gifts, too. over Jonas Valanciunas, casual as it may seem, started way closer to the free-throw line than it seemed on first viewing. And Pippen's slams, while obviously disrespectful on their face, made for even deeper embarrassment too. Two of his most famous slams came against the 7'6" Shawn Bradley and on a reverse baseline jam on defensive legend Ben Wallace. How do you compare the vicious power dunkers with the acrobatic aerial wizards? Look I know he's played 19 games and only just turned 20 but there aren't 25 better dunkers than him. No one could ever stop a Vince Carter dunk. If Dr. J brought dunking into the NBA mainstream, Vinsanity brought it into the digital age as the first star to truly make his mark on the YouTube generation. OK so I know what you're thinking: I was born yesterday. He should be way higher than he is, but for now the rook can be happy to simply crack the list. But make no mistake, when it comes to power dunking, Kemp reigns as one of the best to ever do it. It doesn't seem impressive at game speed, but slow motion reveals Drexler starts jumping before the hoop is even in the frame. Now, maybe that's a dig at Len specifically, but how many people in the world can do a 360 this casually? . Check out the best dunks & posterizes from the 2018-19 NBA Regular Season! Now, maybe that's a dig at Len specifically, but how many people in the world can do a 360, Theoretically, a torn meniscus and several offseason knee procedures should have taken their toll on the 31-year-old's explosiveness, but if you've watched the Houston Rockets this season, you know he's as, When Francis jumped to dunk, it seemed like he was always attempting an impossible task. Here's 10 minutes of him dunking. Dr. J brought dunking into the mainstream and ushered in a new era of basketball both in terms of style and substance. Attempt to talk it through with someone else who likewise worked themselves into a tizzy and you might come to blows. Zach LaVine's reputation is in a strangely negative place. As you can tell, a lot of big names were also incredible dunkers. 0 of 6. Here was a guy who could make a, Interestingly enough, there's not much footage of Jordan showboating after a dunk, something that would make sense given his uber-sensitivity to. If you started following the NBA in the back half of the 2010s, you likely know, We'd be remiss if we didn't mention Griffin's partnership with, Erving was almost born to be the Father of the Dunk. Even this. "When you throw one down, especially over a bigger man, you get a psychological advantage," Thompson recalled in an old story for ESPN's Page 2. He has won two dunk contests, but one is widely considered fraudulent. View more comments. Want to get lost in a sea on 'Nique highlights? Facials on centres. Generally, we favor well-rounded players over guys known solely as dunkers. After Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's overwhelming dominance at UCLA, the NCAA. If we celebrate LeBron James and Russell Westbrook for continuing to remain superathletes as they age, we owe Drexler the same retroactive appreciation. Inexact sciences are equal parts entertaining and maddening to … Additionally, much like O'Neal before him and, Of course, that window closed quickly for myriad reasons, but Howard's peak remains among the most exciting and groundbreaking periods for a star in recent history. Afterward, he shrugs and says, "It was just all instinct that took over.". Is the 2020 Slam Dunk champion Derrick Jones Jr. might be the most unassuming great in-game dunker in NBA history. Shaq locked in when necessary, and when he did, there was no tougher cover. But standing out in a crowd and shepherding in a new wave as a pioneer matters even if in today's game it wouldn't come close to resonating as much. Richardson achieved prominence after a dunking dark age. Just because we don't typically think of LeBron James as an all-time dunker - in part because he's famously never done the dunk contest - doesn't mean he isn't one of the best to ever do it. What did Chocolate Thunder name that dunk after the fact? While Russ and Kevin Durant may not have had the best working relationship, watching the two of them together, especially in their younger days, was mind-blowing. until his retirement, winning that elusive title in 1994-95 with the Rockets. Here are 50 of the greatest in NBA history. However, while Shaq was, There were players as big as Shaq, and there were players as quick as Shaq, but nobody was as big, as quick as Superman. Russell Westbrook but no Derrick Rose? The most influential dunker of all-time and it's not even close. There's nothing more exciting in sports than the poster dunk. We've also attached a video of each player's most exemplary in-game dunk to illustrate their prowess in the art of the slam. Vince Carter is the greatest dunker ever and honestly... it's not close. Kobe wouldn't forgive, though. The man nicknamed Airplane Mode is either actively trying to make dunks more difficult or doesn't even realize how far and high he's jumping. His head regularly went above the rim on dunks, and he threw down consistently violent slams both in space and in traffic. But there's no question he was one of the best dunkers in history. But Vince Carter is the best in-game dunker ever, and it's not close. In large part, it was because of his explosive slams. He made the playoffs only once, lost in the first round and didn't even play 10 seasons in the league. Rider in particular dunked with a degree of tenacity that would have made him a cult favourite in today's age of YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Of course, that window closed quickly for myriad reasons, but Howard's peak remains among the most exciting and groundbreaking periods for a star in recent history. Purists and cynics will look at the slam above, one of the most famous plays in history, and call a travel on Dr. J. Fans can hope he has a few more years of gravity defiance in him. He may not only have performed arguably one of the best NBA Slam Dunk Contests in nba history, but he is also known to be one of the greatest in-game dunkers in the NBA. Here's the best of the rest. We'll never see a player (or a dunker) like him again. There's a reason why the Dallas Mavericks shut him down in the 2011 NBA Finals: They, In the ensuing near decade, LeBron's dealt with minor injuries and major minutes, yet he remains one of the league's premiere dunkers. Dominique was one of the most revolutionary dunkers the NBA has seen, but most of his best dunks came in games, not in contests. Dominique Wilkins had an unfulfilled NBA career. In that vein, Wade earned extra points for the now-iconic, Messing Around and Ending Alex Len's Whole Career, Zach LaVine's reputation is in a strangely negative place. If anybody else did these three dunks in one game, it would be talked about for weeks, but for Griffin, it was just another day at the office. At one point, Carter says he didn't know where Jason Kidd would throw the ball on a particular play but that he'd figure it out mid-air. Zion. There are mixtapes about his days dunking in college at UNC. Dr. J then brought those ideals to the NBA after the leagues merged in 1976, and the sport was never the same. Example Dunk: Giving Larry Bird an Existential Crisis. From here on out, there are legitimate cases to be made for each to be number one. 4. If you started following the NBA in the back half of the 2010s, you likely know Blake Griffin primarily as a floor-spacing, ball-handling big man. Given that he was undrafted and doesn't have much of a skill set to speak of beyond his phenomenal aerial talent (though he is shooting 51.4 percent from the floor this season and averaging a career-best 8.9 points per game), it's unclear how much longer Jones will stick in the league. In the 1970s, the dunk held a strange place in competitive basketball. Based solely on reliving the best of the best through YouTube, it's hard to fathom five better in-game dunkers than Griffin, who at times appeared as if his entire existence was for the sole purpose of dunking anything and everything. Did MJ, Vinsanity, Nique or Dr. J take the top spot? Whenever Kemp got a rebound and started leading the fast break, opponents knew they were likely in big trouble. Unless you're literally dunking OVER someone on said fastbreak. He had a reported 43-inch vertical, which is among the best ever recorded, but in the air, it often looked like he was jumping even higher, almost resembling Calvin Cambridge from Like Mike. 360s with ease on fastbreaks. But he won that prize before emerging as one of the best players in history, so we can forgive opponents for forgetting about his above-the-rim dominance in the ensuing seasons. 223 talking about this. While he, of course, was not even close to Jordan on a talent basis, Drexler was nevertheless spectacular, especially in the air. In November, he threw down a. over a million dollars yearly on his body, but at a certain point, he's also a little lucky. He did it all. With the pandemic ending the season prematurely for the bottom eight NBA teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, that means Carter won’t be […] Vince Carter's best dunks ever, ranked from seven to one View later. Translating your skills as a dunker in space, where mistakes are allowed, to a dunker in a team context, where those mistakes can add up, is difficult, and only the best of the best can be elite in-game dunkers. Whether it's his Iverson-lite step over Anderson Varejao in the above video or his celebration after a throwdown on Kendrick Perkins, Wade would often turn up the swagger after a dunk, but not in an arrogant way. There's a reason All-Star Weekend's Slam Dunk Contest has been the last and most-hyped competition on Saturday night for as long as it's existed. Implemented because of Dawkins. Share. And who knows, if Wilkins walked away with the 1988 Slam Dunk title instead of Jordan, perhaps the Hall of Famer is remembered even more fondly than he already is. You can pooh-pooh Bradley's lack of athleticism or Wallace's not directly blocking Richardson's path on that particular play, but the fact is, plays such as those are incredibly difficult to pull off. No player of his era enjoyed putting people on posters as much as Kemp, who seemingly enjoyed contact and would routinely partake in above the rim demolition derbies with wannabe shot blockers. But what made him so special was his unique physique. You could argue that given Jordan's competitiveness, his general approach to basketball was malicious, but it especially extends to his aerial activities. Unlike many players on this list or otherwise, The Glide remained both productive and limber. I belong to the Church of Dunking Showmanship. His assaults on rims continue to impact the game today. Top 10 Greatest NBA Dunks Ever – Watch Mojo. Therefore, it hasn't taken him long to enter the conversation of the greatest dunkers in NBA history. Copyright © 2018 NBA. Nobody - and I mean NOBODY - throws down a tomahawk quite like LeBron. The Magic made the Finals in his age-23 season and were perfectly constructed around him, so their title window seemed open for the foreseeable future. At age 35, he is nearly as bouncy as he was at 18. During his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron was arguably the greatest athlete in NBA history. You want a specific type of Vince dunk? Carter played an integral role in reinjecting excitement back into the NBA in the immediate aftermath of Michael Jordan's second retirement with the Chicago Bulls. Drexler was given the nickname The Glide while at the University of Houston, and somehow, it always seemed appropriate. It's there! New week and new plays in the NBA. Example Dunk: The Most Disrespectful Dunk in NBA History. While he was a blistering, furious scorer on.