BEST NBA DUNKERS OF ALL TIME
We look to answer the common question: Who is the greatest dunker of all time?
Counting down the top 10, players are examined from all eras. The criteria being analyzed include volume of in-game dunks, flair of in-game dunks, power behind the jam, and lastly their success in the Slam Dunk Contest.
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Honorable Mentions
Zach LaVine
Zach's bounce is off-the-charts. He uses a blistering first step to embark on his drive, then an explosive last step to throw down the hammer jam. At 6'6", Zach springs up off the hardwood to glide in for jams. He's especially dangerous in the open court where he can use his foot speed to leak out ahead of the defense before making a highlight
The UCLA product won the Slam Dunk Contest in back-to-back years (2015 + 2016). That 2016 competition in Toronto was one of the greatest ones ever, barely edging out Aaron Gordon for the top prize. The frequency of LaVine's in-game dunks is what holds him back here. All upcoming members of this list were more dominant as interior scorers and made a more meaningful winning difference on their clubs.
Zion Williamson
Zion's athleticism is showcased as a dunker in both the half-court offense and transition. He leaps both incredibly high and incredibly quickly for such a heavy player. Additionally, his formidable offensive rebounding serves as a springboard for his productive putback dunking.
He skies to catch lobs and finishes with authority off one or both legs. Williamson gets numerous dunks in the half-court via spin-offs for lobs after his man tries to deny the post entry to him. On the fast break, he bursts into the frontcourt to create an advantage then fills the lane for a slam.
The Duke product's dunking is far from just a spectacle. He makes a real impact on the game through his flushes. The very threat of a Zion throw-down bends defenses. In just his rookie season of 2019-2020 Williamson averaged nearly 2.5 dunks per contest.
Aaron Gordon
The 6'8", 235lbs. Gordon is a swingman who already entered the league as one of its most impressive dunk artists. His coaching staff is smart to integrate actions into the offense that slingshot Aaron to the rim. The downhill pressure he can offer is elite. He can take off from way beyond the rim for acrobatic, jaw-dropping dunks.
Catch-and-go’s, backdoor cuts and basic dribble drives are all ways Aaron uses what is an outrageous first and last step. Length and size on the basketball court always help but there’s a good chance he’d even be an electric finisher at 6’3” hypothetically speaking. Lucky for him, he has the size of a modern-day four-man to supplement his crazy bounce.
Aaron is perfectly crafted to be an open-court killer. He is a prolific dunker here in addition to all of his half-court power jams. With windmills, double-pump slams and one-hand tomahawks, he is a highlight reel unto himself. Unfortunately, he has retired himself from the Slam Dunk Competitions after a couple final round decisions that didn't go his way.
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#10 ~ Tracy McGrady
The Hall of Fame wing was much more than just a dunker. He was a killer on the court as a scoring force and an underrated playmaker. Awe-inspiring slams were just one component, albeit the best one to watch, of his impressive career.
McGrady could get by his primary defender with relative ease. A gifted athlete, he would then set his sights on the rim-protector. The 6-foot-8 Tracy would routinely meet these help men at the summit, and win the duel. His max leap, hang time, size and dunking aggression all allowed for these posterizations.
T-Mac lost to his cousin and then-teammate Vince Carter in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest. He still accrued 99 first round points out of a possible 100. McGrady's athleticism and as a result his career were sadly derailed by injuries otherwise he could be even higher on this list.
#9 ~ Dwight Howard
Dwight was perhaps the most reliant on his dunks out of the men in this list. It was for good reason, a chiseled physical specimen at his peak who dominated through sheer force of will in the paint. The depth of his post moves was mediocre and he had no jump shot to speak of. Still, he dunked his way to 8 All-NBA teams and over 18,000 career points (only a double-digit amount of threes made).
The burly Atlanta native dunked through contact at a historic level. Multiple bodies would have to be thrown at Howard to attempt to slow him down around the basket. He was also a lob-catcher supreme, sporting a 7'5" wingspan. Dwight participated in the Dunk Contest four times, and won one. NBA centers rarely have the type of athleticism Howard housed at his peak.
#8 ~ LeBron James
LeBron’s finishing package within the paint is extremely broad and nuanced. On a given possession, he can powerfully throw down a thunderous slam dunk. Then on the next possession, he can just as easily use a spin move to get his shoulder into his defender followed by a silky-smooth lay-in.
At 6'9" James is a vicious, physical slasher who piles up and-ones. Examining just his dunks, he likes the secure two-handed jam in the half-court off cuts and rolls. When he dribble drives, he looks to throw down a one-handed sledgehammer with his dominant right hand. James will up the showmanship in the open court with some windmills and double-pump jams.
The extremely high frequency of LeBron dunks and their lofty accuracy separates him from the pack here. Across his lengthy prime, James has consistently leveraged the ultra-efficient dunk within his scoring package. These dunks have helped him have several seasons shooting north of 70% at the rim.
#7 ~ Kobe Bryant
The prolific scorer had a bunch of spring in his step, especially as a young player. He could take off insanely far, feet beyond the restricted area. Kobe loved to drive it hard baseline, then rise up on the other site of the rim for a throw-down. It was an integral part of his paint bucket-getting during his prime years.
He continued to be a beast on the fast break. Kobe would spring ahead for teammates like Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom to find him. He needed more than one body to stop him from creating a highlight in transition. Bryant's on-court fearlessness was also a huge determinant in making him a productive, violent dunker.
#6 ~ Shawn Kemp
The 6'10" big man was an incredibly productive dunker during the 1990's. He worked with his guards Gary Payton and Nate McMillan to form powerful little-big duos. Kemp more than kept up his end up the bargain by setting brutal screens and being a springy dive man. His catch radius was huge, having long arms and nice hands to nab and jam anything near him.
Shawn could also get out and run for open court jams. He continued to be a monster alley-oop receiver in these spots. Kemp could catch and finish lobs with just one hand the whole way. Here and in the half-court, he did not have to even get behind the defense, he'd just dunk through people. He was a member of a quartet of Dunk contests.
#5 ~ Blake Griffin
The 2011 Slam Dunk Champ has produced some of the best slam highlights of the 21st century. He used his strong 6'9" frame to absorb hits on his way to the basket, and on his way up. Griffin has a lengthy collection of players on his "Dunked On" list. His "throw-in" dunks are the stuff of legend, nearly ripping down the rim in the process.
Blake's dunking was not just for show. He and his slamming skillset helped power those high-level "Lob City" Clipper offenses alongside DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul. The 6-time All Star was a lob threat at almost all times within the team offense. His additional finishing skills helped round out what was a monstrous roll man profile in his prime.
#4 ~ Michael Jordan
Michael joined the league as a hyper-athletic guard. His speed and bounce were off the charts, and he was a master of the dunk particulary during the late 80's. He took home the prize in both the 1987 and 1988 Dunk Contests.
His huge hands let him cradle and palm the ball on his way up that few other 6'6" players could. With the speed and bounce of a guard yet the hand size of a big, he could do some serious damage as a rim-rocker. The pure functionality of Michael's dunking should not be overlooked. He simply sought out the most efficient sort of finish given the circumstances. Sometimes, that happened to be a poster flush.
The looming threat of a Michael drive and/or dunk helped set up his midrange game. All of this is to say that the threat of his lethal slams pumped value into other aspects of his scoring game. Needless to say, it ended up being an offensive repertoire and ultimate output level that was historically special.
#3 ~ Julius Erving
Dr. J was one of the first true showmen as a dunker. He made NBA basketball, and ABA basketball, extremely exciting and alluring to the common fan. The 16-time All Star took off, with regularity, from what was previously considered a near-impossible distance from the hoop. When he would get up in the air and glide, something amazing was likely to follow.
Erving loved to just stretch around the defender for a finish in mid-air. He is 6'7" and has long arms to improvise the dunk in mid-air. Occasionally, Julius would morph from a lay-up to a dunk in mid-air. His bounce and reach allowed for such things to be commonplace. Dr. J's frequent jams both led to winning and reaching personal scoring plateaus. His high-point in the NBA was 26.9 ppg and he won a ring a couple years later.
#2 ~ Dominique Wilkins
The 6'8" Wilkins spent an impressive dozen seasons rattling rims with the Hawks. Those years proved to be his dunking prime. He averaged 26.4 points/night over these 12 years in Atlanta. He won his two Dunk Contest during this stretch as well. Wilkins was one of the first to help elevate the Contest to the popular event it has become. Dominique is also in a small group of multi-time winners here.
The North Carolina native was dominant as an in-game dunker in a number of ways. His secure slams helped him be an efficient volume scorer, with a scoring crown at 30.3 ppg in 1985-1986. Dominique earned his flushes through cuts, leak outs, and on other self-created takes to the rack. Also of note was his putback jam tendencies, further padding his actual game value as a dunker.
#1 ~ Vince Carter
Vince Carter is the greatest dunker in NBA history.
No matter the setting, the 6'6" dynamo could manufacture a highlight play. He did so in the Olympics, in the NBA preseason, the regular season, the playoffs and during the Slam Dunk Contest. In fact, Vince's one-and-only appearance here is widely regarded as the best Dunk Contest of all time. His through-the-legs jam was revolutionary and stood as just one example of what he and his athleticism could do.
He was able to make 360-degree dunks look easy. He could perform any sort of dunk, in any sort of game setting. Vince was expectedly an open court force with a dunk package that had no end to it. Every single game he suited up for, save for during the latter part of his career, he would produce a highlight play with his bounce. Carter was also unafraid of contact around the cup. He is the best dunker of all time, both in-game and beyond.
