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

#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.