Ranking the Top 5 NBA Slam Dunk Contests of All-time

The annual NBA dunk contest scheduled during All-Star weekend usually generates a buzz that is difficult to top, particularly if a heated showdown is anticipated to happen.

Over the years, millions of basketball fans have been treated to aerial displays of power, finesse and sheer athleticism at this event.

While the impact of a slam varies among viewers, some dunks have become legendary because of their beauty and significance.

The NBA All-Star Dunk Competition has spanned nearly four decades already. There are certainly unforgettable dunks that always come up in conversations.

Several of these dunks have impacted future slam artists and even casual basketball fans. As this year’s dunk showcase is about to get underway, it’s also time to rank a few of the most remarkable slams ever.

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5 of the most iconic NBA Dunk Duels

#5 1986 Dominique Wilkins vs Spud Webb

Spud Webb sensationally pulled off an upset to dethrone the defending champion and Atlanta Hakws teammate Dominique Wilkins in 1986. [Photo: Sports Illustrated]

A duel that still gets remembered once in a while every time there is a dunk contest. The battle was between good friends and Atlanta Hawks teammates, Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb.

Wilkins, the defending champ, was known for his rim-rattling windmill dunks. Several of his two-handed slams were things of beauty, matching power and execution in a manner almost too impressive to be true.

The undersized Spud Webb instantly became the crowd favorite. At only 5’7, Webb relied on his unimaginable vertical leap and creativity to try to pull off an upset. Webb finally pulled the rug from beneath Wilkins’ feet with his last dunk.

The athletically gifted point guard slammed the ball to the floor before it bounced off the backboard. With perfect timing and jaw-dropping grace, Spud Webb caught the ball mid-air and slammed it home to dethrone Wilkins.

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#4 1984 Larry Nance vs Julius Erving

Larry Nance (#22) shocked the NBA with the league's first-ever dunking crown over Julius Erving and Clyde Drexler. [Photo: Bleacher Report]

The All-Star and Dunk events would not have become realities without their origins in the ABA 1976 Dunk Contest.

In that competition, a young Julius Erving captured the nation’s attention and imagination with a sensational win over George Gervin and David Thompson, among others.

When the NBA decided to incorporate the event in 1984, it was only fitting that Dr. J of the Philadelphia 76ers would be back to try and win the inaugural slam crown.

Julius Erving brought out the original free-throw line dunk. It’s a move that has been imitated by many, including the guy that was credited for popularizing the move, Michael Jordan.

Larry Nance, however, had other plans and became the NBA’s first-ever dunk champion. He bested Erving, the towering Ralph Sampson and then rookie-phenom Clyde Drexler.

#3 1988 Michael Jordan vs Dominique Wilkins

Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins put the NBA's Dunk Contest on the map following their legendary duel in 1988. [Photo: teahub.io]

Previously considered by many as the mother of all dunk competitions, the battle between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins raised the event to another level.

The duel was hotly anticipated as Wilkins beat Jordan in the 1985 contest. Jordan came into the contest as the defending champ but did not face Wilkins in his title run due to the latter’s back injury.

Three years after their first duel, the two legendary aerial combatants were facing off again. The adoring Chicago Stadium crowd couldn’t wait for their hero to finally beat Wilkins.

Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins answered everyone’s lofty expectations and then some.

The ultimate face-off between two of the greatest dunkers of their generation lived up to the hype. Wilkins was in imperious form throughout the competition, while Jordan seemingly cruised to the finals.

Wilkins’ iconic and powerful two-handed dunk was awarded a ridiculously low score of 45 that shocked almost everyone, including Jordan. It set the stage for what will be forever remembered as “The Dunk.”

Jordan’s free-throw line dunk wasn’t as perfect as it was made out to be, but it got him the 50 points and the crown.

Years later, Jordan would grudgingly concede that if it was not for some home cooking, Wilkins would have won the 1988 title.

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#2 2000 Vince Carter vs Tracy McGrady

Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady brought the prestige back to the NBA Dunk Contest in 2000. [Photo: OpenCourt-Basketball]

By 2000, the anticipation and excitement that accompanied every NBA dunk contest was a shell of what it used to be.

Commissioner David Stern even decided to give the event “a rest” after poorly living up to its once high standards. When the league decided to bring it back in 2000, many were skeptical about the move.

The NBA’s most recognizable in-game dunk artists shook the league and millions of its fans out of their doldrums with an unforgettable dunk fest.

Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes and Ricky Davis pumped life into the dying competition.

The doubts about holding the dunk contest again were blown away by Carter’s first dunk.

It was almost a simple 360 dunk, but it was not that simple with the Toronto Raptors superstar executing it with such grace and ferocity. The dunk brought the house down and set the stage for a fun-filled night.

McGrady and Francis responded to the gauntlet thrown at their feet with some of the most vicious and artistic slams ever seen in the NBA.

Vinsanity just took over as he won the crown and helped revive what was once the premiere sideshow event on All-Star Weekend.

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#1 2016 Zach LaVine vs Aaron Gordon

The controversial 2016 Dunk Contest produced several of the NBA's most beautiful dunks by Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon. [Photo: cas.gov.co]

The controversy surrounding this matchup rivals that of the Jordan-Wilkins brouhaha in 1988. Words alone are incapable of portraying what Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon did in the final round of the 2016 NBA dunk competition.

Both players pulled out all the stops and left everything on the floor with one iconic dunk after another, much to the delight of the crowd. The NBA has never seen anything as closely fought as the high-level battle between LaVine and Gordon.

Gordon’s final dunk was only awarded a 47, which to this day, still boggles the minds of basketball fans. Tracy McGrady, Dikembe Mutombo and Dennis Scott are often reminded of what should have been on social media.

LaVine, like a machine, didn’t let the surprisingly low score affect his preparation and focus.

He executed a free-throw line dunk but with more sauce. The then-Minnesota Timberwolves guard swapped the ball mid-air between his legs before finishing it with a ferocious tomahawk.

The contest should have ended with both LaVine and Gordon declared as winners, which would have been fitting.