{"id":1466,"date":"2011-09-10T19:24:11","date_gmt":"2011-09-11T00:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pauleide.com\/?p=1466"},"modified":"2022-02-21T11:07:56","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T17:07:56","slug":"best-nba-slam-dunk-contest-champion-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/best-nba-slam-dunk-contest-champion-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is The Best NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion EVER?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Best

Who is the best NBA slam dunk champion ever? in ranking the best slam dunk champion ever, I want to completely exclude<\/i>\u00a0their overall skill as basketball players, and focus solely on their ability to dunk the basketball.<\/h2>\n

Also, I think era in which they were dunking in is very significant, as is height.<\/p>\n

With those parameters laid out, let me throw this list of NBA Dunk Contest Winners at you, in no particular order. Of these five, I will rank them by reader comments via Hoopsvibe.com, Facebook and private emails. The player who gets the most vote moves into the \u201cFinal Four\u201d of great dunkers, from which a mythical champ will be crowned; open wide, here they come!!<\/p>\n

Nate Robinson- Three Time NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion (2006, 2009, 2010)<\/b><\/h2>\n

There has always been something peculiar about Nate Robinson\u2019s three titles as \u201cbest dunker\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sure, he\u2019s the only three time winner in Dunk Contest history, but fans rarely mention any one of his three wins among the best contests of all time. All of them were sort of unmemorable.<\/p>\n

Sure it\u2019s impressive to see how a guy who is so short can do almost any dunk imaginable, kind of like watching a midget do porn and hit it from all angles successfully, but with him you always feel like you\u2019re missing something. It\u2019s arguable that the format change of the dunk contest benefitted him more than any dunker in history, but he shouldn\u2019t be docked for capitalizing, should he?<\/p>\n

Or maybe he should.\u00a0Even on these highlights from his 2006 win, the top ranked comment is \u201cAndre\u00a0Iguodala\u00a0was ROBBED!! Plain and simple.\u201d That sort of sums up the general consensus of Nate Robinson\u2019s performances.<\/p>\n

Isaiah Rider- 1994 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

Rider was just\u00a0nasty<\/i>, plain and simple. He just came with a completely different energy than anyone else in the competition that year.\u00a0His \u201cEast Bay Funk Dunk\u201d was a dunk that was so ground breaking\u00a0at the time that it\u2019s still used to this day, and has become an absolute standard.<\/p>\n

Plus, he won his dunk contest when it meant something against a pretty impressive field of Robert Pack, Shawn Kemp and Antonio Davis to name a few.<\/p>\n

Larry Nance- 1984 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

Historically, Nance never got the credit he deserved as a\u00a0dunker\u00a0who was completely ahead of his time. Sure at 6-10, it\u2019s easy to not dole out credit when it\u2019s deserved and I think that\u2019s why he isn\u2019t mentioned on any \u201cGreatest\u00a0Dunker\u201d\u00a0lists.<\/p>\n

Plus, as the winner of the first Dunk Contest ever, he made as much of a historical impact as any\u00a0dunker\u00a0ever. His dunks in 1984 were replicated for the next five years in particular and even beyond that.\u00a0Check them out here.<\/p>\n

Kenny Walker- 1989 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

Kenny Walker was an enigma. \u201cSky Walker\u201d was like a dunking robot from planet\u00a0\u201cDunk-Tron\u201d. Based on my criteria listed above, he may have been the most perfect\u00a0dunker\u00a0ever.<\/p>\n

The gold chain, his high top fade, and his over flowing confidence meant he had two career choices upon birth: He was either going to be a great dunker or play wide out\/defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys.\u00a0He just overwhelmed the entire field from dunk one.<\/p>\n

Gerald Green – 2007 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

Green deserves a certain amount of credit for being inventive. In 22 years of Dunk Contests before him, almost every dunk had been conceived and used repeatedly.\u00a0But he came up with some inventive stuff\u00a0which really keyed his victory in 2007.<\/p>\n

In the 2008 Dunk Contest, his\u00a0\u201cBirthday Cake\u201d dunk\u00a0is possibly the most creative dunk ever.<\/p>\n

Read part one of this series here. In ranking these champions, I want to completely exclude their overall skill as basketball players, and focus solely on their ability to dunk the basketball. Also, I think era in which they were dunking in is very significant, as is height.<\/p>\n

Vince Carter – 2000 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

<\/b>For anyone who didn\u2019t watch this entire contest from start to finish, you are only hurting yourself. VC\u2019s performance was no doubt elevated by Tracy\u00a0McGrady\u00a0and Steve Francis. Everybody knew VC was the best leaper and \u201cin game\u201d\u00a0dunker\u00a0in the NBA at the time, but that doesn\u2019t always translate to Dunk Contest success. After two years of no Dunk Contests, VC\u2019s performance is exactly what the NBA needed.<\/p>\n

Before the contest VC stated he had four dunks he was going to do that no one had ever done- and he wasn\u2019t lying. \u00a0His reverse 360 windmill to start it set the tone. His between the legs off the bounce pass \u201cEast Bay Funk Dunk\u201d blew people\u2019s minds. Hanging on the rim with his elbow, then finishing with a two handed dunk from near the free throw line wrapped up the title. Kenny Smith said it best when he said, \u201cCarter is like a combination of Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan.\u201d True that.<\/p>\n

Harold Miner – 1993, 1995 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n
\u201cBaby Jordan\u201d sure looked the part, due to his mannerisms and style, but as a\u00a0dunker, he was limited.\u00a0In 1993 Miner\u2019s dunking was defined by his power, including the indelible image of his two handed reverse dunk.\u00a0In 1995, it was really interesting to that he won again because he used almost the exact same repertoire of dunks. But the field performed so badly (Antonio Harvey, Tony Dumas, Isaiah Rider) he was sort of the default champ. Another factor was the change to a timed series of dunks, rather than one at a time like in past years.<\/div>\n

Spud Webb – 1986 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n
Spud will always be the \u201cPeople\u2019s Champion\u201d of the Dunk Contest. At 5-6, going up against the most fearsome\u00a0dunker\u00a0in his era in Dominique Wilkins, it is still the ultimate \u201cDavid vs. Goliath\u201d story.\u00a0And it just looked so surreal to see this little guy jumping so freakishly high. Before the Dunk Contest two years ago TNT ran a piece that compared Nate Robinson to Webb- in my mind, there is no comparison whatsoever.<\/div>\n

Kobe Bryant – 1997 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n
Historically, the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk contest isn\u2019t that highly revered. And even watching it, it really wasn\u2019t great. Personally\u00a0I blame Bob\u00a0Sura\u00a0who looked like he could barely even touch rim that day, but the field as a whole was just sort of disjointed. A young Kobe Bryant capitalized and was by far the most athletic and entertaining\u00a0dunker\u00a0in the field.<\/div>\n

Dee Brown – 1991 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n
This was always one of my favorite NBA Slam Dunk Contests. It was early enough where you didn\u2019t see the same played out dunks as always. Seeing a 6-1 inch Dee Brown elevate and impress over a field of significantly larger men was very compelling. And even though the \u201cNo Look Dunk\u201d sealed the deal for him, he had\u00a0several other very impressive dunks\u00a0that everyone forgets about. But what this Dunk Contest is even known for more than that was Brown\u2019s endless hyping of his Reebok Pumps, especially right before the final dunk where he \u201cPumped Up\u201d his shoes and a new marketing campaign was borne; if 6-1 inch Brown can do it, why can\u2019t YOU??<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Read part\u00a0one\u00a0of this series here\u00a0and part\u00a0two\u00a0of this series here. In ranking these champions, I want to completely exclude their overall skill as basketball players, and focus solely on their ability to dunk the basketball.<\/p>\n

Also, I think era in which they were dunking in is very significant, as is height. With those parameters laid out, let me throw the second five names at you, in no particular order. Of these five, I will rank them by reader comments via Hoopsvibe.com, Facebook and private emails. The player who gets the most vote moves into the \u201cFinal Four\u201d of great\u00a0dunkers, from which a mythical champ will be crowned; open wide, here they come!<\/p>\n

Cedric Ceballos – 1992 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

The dunks in this NBA Slam Dunk contest sum up in one contest why the 90\u2019s Dunk Contests were better than the 2000\u2019s. First off no player was \u201ctoo big\u201d for the contest (Nick Anderson, Starks, etc. no third rate players), showing up and enthusiastic to compete, something that was lost in later years. In this contest there were all kinds of dunkers, which was perfectly epitomized in the final match-up pitting the power of Larry Johnson versus the agility of Ced Ceballos. Ced’s\u00a0two handed blindfolded dunk sealed the deal\u00a0and the battle still rages about whether he could see or not.<\/p>\n

Fred Jones – 2004 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

After annihilating the competition the previous two years, Jason Richardson was attempting to win his third contest in a row. \u00a0Though he arguably completed the two best dunks in the contest, they came in the first round and after multiple attempts; Fred Jones\u2019 two perfect scores on four attempts snagged him the title. Jones\u2019 lob, 360,\u00a0one handed dunk is maybe one of the best of its kind of all time.<\/p>\n

Brent Barry – 1996 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

In my opinion this was one of the most anti-climactic final rounds ever. I was never a fan of Brent Berry winning the contest thanks to doing the free throw line dunk twice.\u00a0Even in 1996 the \u201cFree Throw Line Dunk\u201d was played out by then. So a guy doing it twice really shouldn\u2019t have won it. Not a great Dunk Contest.<\/p>\n

Josh Smith – 2005 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

After the previous couple of NBA Slam Dunk contests had lacked creativity, this one made up for at least three boring contests. Amare Stoudemire\u2019s off the head alley-oop from Steve Nash was pretty cool and novel, but it couldn\u2019t hang with Josh Smith\u2019s dunks that were even more creative. The first one was having Kenyon Martin, seated in the chair in the lane, flip him an alley-oop while he jumped over him and finished the dunk. Once in the finals Smith had the most creative round in years. First he donned a Dominique Wilkins jersey and finished a windmill slam from the right block.<\/p>\n

Stoudemire\u00a0countered with a sweet between the legs reverse dunk on the baseline with his head nearly hitting the rim. On his final dunk, Smith completed a one handed 360 windmill, spinning backwards.\u00a0Both of Smith\u2019s dunks got 50\u2019s and sealed the deal.<\/p>\n

Desmond Mason – 2001 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

2001 may be one of the most underrated Dunk Contests ever. The field was stacked with similar\u00a0dunkers\u00a0and hotly contested, consisting of Baron Davis, Jonathan Bender, Corey\u00a0Maggette,\u00a0Stromile\u00a0Swift,\u00a0Deshawn\u00a0Stevenson and Desmond Mason. \u00a0After a first round 31, Mason recovered to make the final round by a one point margin, besting Bender and Swift. Mason\u2019s seven foot wingspan and ability to dunk with both hands saw him finish dunks at crazy angles and seemingly hang in the air longer than any other competitor, ultimately sealing the victory. 2001 is definitely worth watching for four minutes in your cube at work.<\/p>\n

Michael Jordan- 1987, 1988 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cHis\u00a0Airness\u201d\u00a0redefined the slam dunk in a lot of ways. How much of his greatness can be attributed to the competition and equal skills of Dominique Wilkins? Jordan was the ultimate finesse\u00a0dunker,\u00a0\u201cNique\u201d\u00a0the ultimate power\u00a0dunker. The one thing I have to argue against Jordan is the fact he used the \u201cFree Throw Line Dunk\u201d twice in two competitions to win both. And how much of his second title (over\u00a0\u201cNique\u201d) can be attributed to the fact it was at Chicago Stadium? To this day I think\u00a0\u201cNique\u201d\u00a0got robbed.<\/p>\n

Dominique Wilkins- 1985, 1990 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cNique\u201d to this day in my opinion is the most thunderous dunker I\u2019ve ever seen. Just his sheer force, combined with his endless athleticism, is still unparalleled even to this day. You could argue VC, but \u201cNique\u201d hit it with such passion, force and creativity, he may have been the most electrifying dunker ever. And if his buddy and teammate Sup Webb hadn\u2019t stole the show in 1986, he would\u2019ve been a three time winner when it meant something. The ultimate competitor, Wilkins and Jordan were the most perfect rivals ever to square off against each other, perhaps in any sport.<\/p>\n

Jason Richardson- 2002, 2003 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

A lot of people forget J-Rich won back to back NBA Slam Dunk Contests. Partially because of how gimmicky 2002 was- NBA legends spinning a giant wheel to determine what dunks the competitors would do? How lame. If there was ever a sign all the dunks had been created and executed, that was it. The 2002\u00a0reverse two hander off the bounce\u00a0that Richardson pulled off was\u00a0atletic\u00a0as it was inventive.\u00a0The only thing better than that was his between the legs, off hand, off the bounce dunk he did to win the 2003 contest.<\/p>\n

Blake Griffin – 2011 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

I read all the time how the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest was \u201cweak\u201d in a lot of people\u2019s minds. But was it weak, or is it because it\u2019s so hard for competitors to come up with such imaginative dunks year after year? I will admit though something felt amiss during the contest- no matter what anyone else did, Griffin was going to win. It was at least the most commercialized, over blown final dunk ever- what\u2019s that special about a 6-10 guy jumping over the hood of a car to dunk a ball? Demetrius \u201cHook\u201d Mitchell certainly wasn\u2019t impressed.<\/p>\n

Dwight Howard – 2008 Champion<\/b><\/h2>\n

Howard will never get the credit he deserves because he\u2019s 6-11. It\u2019s funny to think that Larry Nance was 6-10 and they\u2019re such completely different\u00a0dunkers.<\/p>\n

Howard\u2019s \u201cSuperman Dunk\u201d, which was essentially a dunk off an\u00a0alley-oop\u00a0from just inside the free throw line, may not have been the most technically sound dunk ever, but the ingenuity, theatrics and overall concept was what ensured him the victory.<\/p>\n

So, which one of these guys is the best?<\/p>\n

Here’s the full list of NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champions from Wikipedia:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/th>\nHost city<\/th>\nPlayer<\/th>\nTeam<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1984<\/td>\nDenver<\/td>\nLarry Nance<\/td>\nPhoenix Suns<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1985<\/td>\nIndianapolis<\/td>\nDominique Wilkins<\/td>\nAtlanta Hawks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1986<\/td>\nDallas<\/td>\nSpud Webb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1987<\/td>\nSeattle<\/td>\nMichael Jordan<\/td>\nChicago Bulls<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1988<\/td>\nChicago<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1989<\/td>\nHouston<\/td>\nKenny Walker<\/td>\nNew York Knicks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1990<\/td>\nMiami<\/td>\nDominique Wilkins<\/td>\nAtlanta Hawks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1991<\/td>\nCharlotte<\/td>\nDee Brown<\/td>\nBoston Celtics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1992<\/td>\nOrlando<\/td>\nCedric Ceballos<\/td>\nPhoenix Suns<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1993<\/td>\nSalt Lake City<\/td>\nHarold Miner<\/td>\nMiami Heat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1994<\/td>\nMinneapolis<\/td>\nIsaiah Rider<\/td>\nMinnesota Timberwolves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1995<\/td>\nPhoenix<\/td>\nHarold Miner<\/td>\nMiami Heat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1996<\/td>\nSan Antonio<\/td>\nBrent Barry<\/td>\nLos Angeles Clippers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1997<\/td>\nCleveland<\/td>\nKobe Bryant<\/td>\nLos Angeles Lakers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1998<\/td>\nNew York City<\/td>\nThe WNBA\u2013NBA 2Ball Competition replaced the Slam Dunk Contest<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1999<\/td>\nPhiladelphia<\/td>\nLockout-shortened season, no NBA All-Star Game<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2000<\/td>\nOakland<\/td>\nVince Carter<\/td>\nToronto Raptors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2001<\/td>\nWashington, D.C.<\/td>\nDesmond Mason<\/td>\nSeattle SuperSonics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2002<\/td>\nPhiladelphia<\/td>\nJason Richardson<\/td>\nGolden State Warriors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2003<\/td>\nAtlanta<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2004<\/td>\nLos Angeles<\/td>\nFred Jones<\/td>\nIndiana Pacers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2005<\/td>\nDenver<\/td>\nJosh Smith<\/td>\nAtlanta Hawks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2006<\/td>\nHouston<\/td>\nNate Robinson<\/td>\nNew York Knicks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2007<\/td>\nLas Vegas<\/td>\nGerald Green<\/td>\nBoston Celtics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2008<\/td>\nNew Orleans<\/td>\nDwight Howard<\/td>\nOrlando Magic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2009<\/td>\nPhoenix<\/td>\nNate Robinson<\/td>\nNew York Knicks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2010<\/td>\nDallas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2011<\/td>\nLos Angeles<\/td>\nBlake Griffin<\/td>\nLos Angeles Clippers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2012<\/td>\nOrlando<\/td>\nJeremy Evans<\/td>\nUtah Jazz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2013<\/td>\nHouston<\/td>\nTerrence Ross<\/td>\nToronto Raptors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2014<\/td>\nNew Orleans<\/td>\nJohn Wall<\/td>\nWashington Wizards<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2015<\/td>\nNew York City<\/td>\nZach LaVine<\/td>\nMinnesota Timberwolves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2016<\/td>\nToronto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2017<\/td>\nNew Orleans<\/td>\nGlenn Robinson III<\/td>\nIndiana Pacers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2018<\/td>\nLos Angeles<\/td>\nDonovan Mitchell<\/td>\nUtah Jazz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2019<\/td>\nCharlotte<\/td>\nHamidou Diallo<\/td>\nOklahoma City Thunder<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020<\/td>\nChicago<\/td>\nDerrick Jones Jr.<\/td>\nMiami Heat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\nAtlanta<\/td>\nAnfernee Simons<\/td>\nPortland Trail Blazers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/td>\nCleveland<\/td>\nObi Toppin<\/td>\nNew York Knicks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who is the best NBA slam dunk champion ever? in ranking the best slam dunk champion ever, I want to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2956,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1919],"tags":[133],"class_list":["post-1466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","tag-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nWho Is The Best NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion EVER? 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