In its lifespan, the NBA Slam Dunk Contest has provided some incredible moments over the years but the last couple were duds. That’s why it was nice to see the excitement come back in the 2015 edition as Zach LaVine brought the house down with some outstanding dunks. The highlight might have been his “Space Jam” dunk that was described as “unbelievable” and “unbeatable”, but rhetoric aside it did get NBA fans thinking about the best of all-time. Here is a look at the five greatest Slam Dunkers of all-time.
5. Zach LaVine
LaVine’s performance in winning the 2015 Slam Dunk Contest was enough to vault him on to this list and according to him he didn’t even use his “best dunks” in the competition. That may or may not be true but aside from his comments about the contest and how he would beat LeBron James in a Slam Dunk Contest the bottom line is LaVine crushed the competition and brought the fans to their feet with his awe-inspiring performance. While the highlight of the night was the “Space Jam” reverse through the legs his other dunks were still among some of the best that we have seen. While he doesn’t earn extra points for being a rookie the fact that he put on that performance as a 19 year old is testament to how high the ceiling is for LaVine moving forward.
4. Dominique Wilkins
The “Human Highlight Film” nickname was given to a two-time Slam Dunk Contest winner and one of the greatest dunkers of all-time in Wilkins. Part of what separated Wilkins from the rest was that he cared so much about putting on a show for the fans and would routinely pull out a highlight-reel dunk during regular season games in order to provide the crowd with a shock of energy.
3. Vince Carter
Carter only won one NBA Slam Dunk Contest but his performance in 2000 almost single-handedly revived the competition and made it relevant again. That All-Star weekend vaulted Carter in to superstar status and made him one of the most popular players in the association as everybody wanted to see Air Canada take flight. His Slam Dunk Contest performance was the stuff of legend and he also had what was easily the greatest dunk in Olympic history when he actually leaped over French center Frederic Weis in the 2000 Sydney Games. Carter’s dunking legacy will live on, although he does lose points on this list for the tail off in his production over the past few years.
2. Michael Jordan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6vRWbVlTDo
The greatest player in NBA history and the man that starred in Space Jam was also a two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion. Nobody will deny the athleticism and creativity that Jordan displayed both in the competition and in actual NBA action. His Slam Dunk Contest duels with Wilkins remain the gold standard for the event and he certainly wasn’t given the nickname “His Airness” for his jump shot.
1. Dr. J, Julius Erving
The Godfather of the modern dunk remains at the top of this list because of the incredible feats he pulled off both in front of the camera and off of it. The most disappointing aspect of Julius Erving’s legacy is that we don’t have the footage of so many of his dunks since the cameras weren’t a staple at so many of the ABA games where he honed his craft. What we do have is enough tape to understand what made Erving such a legend and how he transformed the image of the dunk in to something much different than it was before his time. So many outstanding athletes have made a name for themselves in big part due to their outstanding athleticism and dunking abilities, but nobody has been able to unseat Dr. J at the top of this list.
