5 best dunkers of all time

#1 Julius Erving

Julius Erving #32

You can’t mention the dunk without the godfather of the modern above-the-rim game. Dr J, as he is known, helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA) and was the best-known player in that league when it merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1975–76 season.

While in his younger years it was against regulation to dunk, it’s amazing how he was still able to wow crowds with the high-flying moves. The way Erving utilized the dunk was more as a high-percentage shot made at the end of maneuvers, generally starting well away from the basket and not necessarily as a "show of force" helped to make the shot an acceptable strategy, especially in trying to avoid a blocked shot.

Although he never won an NBA Slam Dunk contest, his in-game heroics filled arenas with fans dying to watch him finish at the rim with flair. He dunked over great shot blockers like Bill Walton and Michael Cooper just to mention a few.