Top 5 NBA dunk contests ranked with Bill Trikos: The 2011 Slam Dunk Contest was a showcase of extreme dunkers led by Blake Griffin, JaVale McGee, and DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan had an excellent second dunk that saw him bounce his pass for an easy reverse glide for the finish. McGee also amazed the crowd by dunking at two different rims simultaneously in mid-air. However, the ultimate winner of the contest was Blake Griffin, who completed an alley-oop slam over a car. Great individual performances at the Slam Dunk Contest don’t come so often in the event. In 2015, we got Zach LaVine. However, in 2000, it was Vince Carter who dominated the contest. From windmill 360 dunks to elbow-hanging rim rockers, Carter proved to everyone why he was described as half man, half amazing. In fact, Carter outlasted Steve Franchis and teammate Tracy McGrady during the epic dunking showdown. Read additional info about the author on https://www.pinterest.com/billtrikos9.
Carter took over the league and put the Toronto Raptors on the map. However, it wasn’t until the 2000 Slam Dunk contest that the whole basketball world took notice of Air Canada. Half-man, half-amazing, Carter put together the greatest individual performance in Slam Dunk Contest history. Vinsanity knocked everybody off their feet with a 360 windmill dunk. Then, his signature elbow dunk was even more impressive. Carter was so spectacular that most people don’t even remember that Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady also had some dunks for the ages.
Pour one out for Zach LaVine, who backed out of a potential Slam Dunk Contest three-peat before he tore his ACL. (We’ll touch on whether the UCLA product should’ve scored a second crown to begin with later.) But don’t let that debate distract from the fact he was spectacular from start to finish in Toronto. Aaron Gordon was a more-than-worthy challenger, pushing LaVine through a series of tiebreakers until the defending champ had no choice but to break out a paradigm-busting combination: a between-the-legs tomahawk dunk from the free-throw line.
Ranking the 10 best Slam Dunk Contest dunks of all time originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago: MJ from the free throw line. Vince Carter declaring “it’s over.” Dwight Howard flying like Superman. The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has featured some of the most memorable moments in league history. While it’s been hit or miss in recent years, the Slam Dunk Contest is still possibly the most anticipated event of All-Star Weekend. That’s likely in large part due to the jaw-dropping jams that have defined the event, with fans hoping to once again be wowed by some of the NBA’s top athletes.
You’d think that Vince Carter, arguably one of the greatest high-flying finishers in NBA history, would’ve had multiple Slam Dunk Contest trophies on his mantle. The records show, though, that Vinsanity took flight just once on All-Star Saturday. Not that he needed more chances than that. His lone appearance—at Oracle Arena in Oakland in 2000—may be the best dunk contest we’ve ever seen, in part because he pulled off tricks few (if any) had ever thought possible.
First off, a shoutout to big men who do the dunk contest, because it’s tough to get creative at 7 feet tall. McGee used his height and length to his advantage, dunking two balls into two hoops side-by-side, one of which was off of a lob. This dunk will serve as a time capsule at some point, bringing us back to the short-lived days of the hoverboard fad before they started catching on fire. It’s still mind-boggling that Gordon was able to time the Magic’s mascot spinning on a hoverboard, then delivering a 360 windmill with the “mailman” showmanship. This one was a lot of people’s favorite from the legendary 2016 Slam Dunk Contest, but there was a different Gordon dunk that will appear at the top of this list.
But will any of the Crescent City’s top dunks hold a candle to these 10, chosen and ranked according to a combination of degree of difficulty and creativity, with bonus points for broader impact? You’ll have to check these out and then tune into TNT on Saturday night at 8 ET to find out. Jason Richardson won back-to-back dunk contests in 2002 and 2003, but his greatest feat might’ve come the following year. At the 2004 competition in Los Angeles, he lobbed the ball to himself off the backboard, brought it through his legs and finished with a right-handed windmill in what TNT’s Kenny Smith described as “the most incredible dunk I’ve ever seen.”