January 1, 200521 yr Top 10 Dunkers Today Inside Stuff The latest edition of Inside Stuff looks at the top dunks and dunkers in the game today. Subscribe today Over the next few days, NBA.com will run a three-part series from the latest edition of Inside Stuff magazine highlighting the top dunks and dunkers in the game today. Starting off the dunk-fest was a look at the top five dunks of all-time. Now, we'll move on to the top 10 dunkers on the court today. Check out photos of some of the highlight-reel dunks. Finally, Vince Carter will provide the keys to being a good dunker as well as what it feels like to dunk on somebody. Don't look away when these high-fliers take the court. They can all get up, stay up and get the crowd up with their aerial supremacy. Every basketball fan has their favorite dunker. Some prefer players who dunk with raw power, some prefer players who dunk with balletic grace and some prefer a little bit of everything. After pouring over hours of footage and debating the merits of the tomahawk versus the reverse versus the alley-oop among other things, we've arrived at the following list of our favorite dunkers in the L today. We understand our top 10 might not be your top 10, and gladly invite your comments... By #2, #4 and #6. Who is the best dunker in the game today? View Results 10. KEVIN GARNETT At No. 10 we find the NBA's reining MVP Kevin Garnett. At 6-11 plus some, KG is large and most definitely in charge. So much so, in fact, he personifies his moniker of Big Ticket, giving fans a super sized show of points, boards, blocks, steals and assists on a nightly basis. But he also gives NBA fans a regular dosage of dunks, even though there's no stat to record the hardest of his hardcore highlights. The Timberwolves' top dog has made himself a staple of SportsCenter recaps over the years with his sick slams that come out of nowhere. His kicks loaded like pogo sticks, Garnett can spring up and drive one down on ya at any moment. Defining Dunk: In a game against Sacramento several seasons ago, KG flew from the middle of the lane and threw in a crazy, one-handed tip dunk which the disbelieving announcer described as "special effects." KG on his dunking frequency: "It's like a volcano. You never know when I'm going to explode." 9. DESMOND MASON If anybody knows Desmond Mason's dunk style, it's his former Sonics teammate, close friend and part-time prop Rashard Lewis. In the 2001 dunk contest, Lewis filled the role of human hurdle for the then-rookie Mason, who jumped over his back for a jam, en route to the trophy. "He attacks the rim aggressively," says Lewis. "You've got to have that 'dawg' attitude to be a top dunker. You've got to be a physical player and don't care about getting hit. You've got to be one of those guys that give up your body." Mason is definitely one of those guys. The 6-5 Milwaukee Bucks swingman, who finished second to Jason Richardson in a memorable dunk showdown in '03, has never been afraid to be banged around or to bang on opponents from way up. Defining Dunk: Mase's two-handed kiss-the-rim dunk from the '01 dunk contest is a highlight-reel regular, but many people remember the two games during the '00-01 season he sent into overtime with last-second left-handed tip dunks. Ridiculousness. What the League is saying: "He can fly. It must be nice to know how to jump like that." -Cuttino Mobley E-mail photo | Buy photos LeBron James threw down this dunk in his first regular season game against the Sacramento Kings. Rocky Widner NBAE/Getty Images 8. LEBRON JAMES No disrespect to Fred Jones -- we're not putting an asterisk by his '04 dunk title. In fact, we're guessing even he would agree that the most entertaining throwdowns of All-Star 2004 came during the Rookie Challenge. Towards the end of the game, the challenge evolved into an impromptu dunk contest with Amar Stoudemire leading the sophomore slammers and LeBron James rockin' the rim for the rooks. Although James chose not to compete in the official dunk contest in L.A. due to a sore ankle, he put on a heck of a show for the Staples Center crowd the night before, catching and hammering several alley-oops, and even putting one down off the glass. None of his highlights from All-Star Weekend or even his rookie run, for that matter, compare to his personal favorite. Defining Dunk: In his first regular season game, LBJ took a steal at midcourt and elevated for a unique, Statue-of-Libertyesque one-handed throwdown that we would go on to see several times during the season. But we're waiting for his signature dunk to evolve ... LBJ begs to differ: "My most memorable dunk was back in the 8th grade at Readinger Middle School, during a teachers vs. students game. I threw it down hard." 7. AMAR STOUDEMIRE No one will ever accuse Amar Stoudemire of lacking in confidence. The 6-10, 245-pounder can go between the legs or behind the back like a small forward, or drop the two-handed hammer, with his knees in your face, like his boyhood hero Shaq. While his position among the game's best is debatable -- sorry, Amar, we tabbed you seventh -- no one will argue against Amar as one of the most forceful dunkers today. Just ask Tim Duncan, KG, Yao Ming, Karl Malone or especially Michael Olowokandi. [Ed. Note-read on) Defining Dunk: Then-teammate Stephon Marbury ran a pick-and-roll with Amar, delivered a perfect bounce pass to a cutting Stoudemire who caught it in stride and had only Olowokandi between him and the basket. Guess who caught the wrong end of the play? Steph's facial expression afterwards was almost as good as Stoudemire's dunk. Amar's disagrees with us: "I'm going to go with myself at No. 2. I think my dunk style, with my body English in the air, is pretty unique. And also I bring the power when I do go up to dunk." 6. STEVE FRANCIS Picking the best little man dunker is no easy task. The list includes Baron Davis, Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury. While all can get up, we choose the Franchise as our fave. Steve is well known for his habit of climbing the trees in the middle and chopping them down with the double ax handle or the one-handed chainsaw. Defining Dunk: In the '00 contest, Stevie bounced it, caught it, double-clutched it and reversed it home, his head at rim level. On Cuttino Mobley's Alley-oops: "I always know when Cat's going to throw an alley-oop. He looks away when he's dribbling, puts it up there, and I just go get it." E-mail photo | Buy photos Jason Richardson's best dunk came during NBA All-Star 2004, but he failed to win his third dunk title. Andrew D. Bernstein NBAE/Getty Images 5. JASON RICHARDSON No one's ever won three NBA dunk crowns and it doesn't look as though J-Rich will be the first, but what a treat it was to witness his first two. Jason, who grew up idolizing Dominique Wilkins, won the '02 crown with a bounce, catch and reverse windmill jam, and the '03 title with a bounce, catch and between-the-legs, over-head flush. But he missed his final attempt in '04 -- which would have locked up the threepeat -- and subsequently announced his retirement from the dunk contest. Of course, J-Rich could always change his mind ... but in the meantime, you can catch his anti-gravity ways in an arena near you. Defining Dunk: Ironically enough, Richardson's best dunk came in the contest he didn't win: '04 in L.A. With a similar approach to his previous dunks, he ooped it to himself, caught it, took it under his left leg and slammed it left-handed -- sending the crowd into a tizzy. J-Rich on dunk creativity: "You have to think of a different way to separate your dunk from other dunks. Like the dunk I did [in Atlanta]. Everybody knew J.R. Rider did the between-the-legs dunk, so I just switched it around and went behind my legs." 4. TRACY McGRADY Tracy McGrady tried to tell us he's not in the upper echelon of dunkers in the League today. Yeah, right. For those of you who followed T-Mac in high school, you remember earlier than that as he stood head and shoulders ... check that, knees and ankles above his prep counterparts. As a relative unknown in Toronto, T-Mac lurked quietly behind VC but when he showed, it was usually in the form of a jarring dunk. Now no one sleeps on this graceful and nasty aerial Rocket. Defining Dunk: We were there. All-Star Game 2002 in Philly. About 10-rows behind baseline. McGrady drove upcourt, flipped the ball up with his left hand off glass, weaved mid-air through the West and threw it down with his right hand. Hard. T-Mac on dunking: "Elevation. Creativity. First of all, you've got to get up high enough to put the ball in. Second of all, you've got to have some style with your dunk. You can't be plain. You've got to have some type of creativity because that's what people want to see. That's what describes your personality, the type of person you are." 3. RICKY DAVIS Ricky Davis can do a little bit everything-shoot pass and score. But Davis doesn't do anything quite as well as he does dunking, particularly scaling over dudes for demoralizing jams. Although he struggled in the '04 dunk contest, the Celtics' forward could compete with just about anyone with the wide assortment of slams in his arsenal. All of which he feels comfortable going to during games. Defining Dunk: His nastiest number came in '02-03. Flying up court, he took it strong and full-speed to the rack, with then-Mavs guard Steve Nash waiting underneath in search of a charge. We don't actually remember whether or not he got it, but we're thinking Nash still has a bump on his forehead from Davis' knee. Ricky's keys to dunking: "The key element is to be able to dunk when the light's on -- you know, dunking on people, finishing, keeping the attitude of dunking." E-mail photo | Buy photos Kobe Bryant took flight during The Finals in June 2004 against the Detroit Pistons. Andrew D. Bernstein NBAE/Getty Images 2. KOBE BRYANT Considering how much he's accomplished over eight years, it's easy to forget Kobe Bryant won the NBA Slam Dunk as a rookie during the '97 All-Star Weekend in Cleveland. The then-18-year-old flexed his biceps after scoring 49 out of 50 on his crown-clinching under-the-leg jam. It was only a taste test of what was to come, though, as his traveling dunk show, like his game, got better by the year. With a delicious recipe of speed, athleticism, hops and body control, No. 8's dunks are at times things of beauty and power. Defining Dunk: The downright ugly baseline facial he gave Yao Ming in February 2003. What Kobe's teammate thinks: "If someone's dominating the middle, Kobe will come over and say, 'Next time I get in the lane I'm going to dunk on that person.' And most of the time he'll make it happen." -Luke Walton 1. VINCE CARTER Picking Vince Carter's best dunk is kind of like picking da Vinci's best painting or the Biggie's best song. They're all classics. We're sure you've got your own favorites, perhaps one of his many 360s, windmills, alley-oops or up-and-under reverse jams. All of which, no doubt, were followed up by a punch to the air, pound of the chest or a head-shaking growl. There's a reason he earned the nickname "Vinsanity," you know. Defining Dunk: Our favorites are from the 2000 dunk contest -- pick one -- and, of course, Carter's leapfrog throwdown over France's 7-2 center Frederic Weis in the '00 Olympics What the League is saying: "People never thought they'd see anybody jump higher or better than Jordan or Dr. J, or Dominique. Jordan and all those guys were some great dunkers, don't get me wrong, but you can't compare them to Vince." -Richard Jefferson
January 1, 200521 yr Author Five Great Dunks Inside Stuff The latest edition of Inside Stuff looks at the top dunks and dunkers in the game today. Subscribe today Over the next few days, NBA.com will run a three-part series from the latest edition of Inside Stuff magazine highlighting the top dunks and dunkers in the game today. Starting off the dunk-fest is a look at the top five dunks of all-time. Then, we'll move on to the top 10 dunkers on the court today. Finally, Vince Carter will provide the keys to being a good dunker as well as what it feels like to dunk on somebody. The Craziest...The SICKest...THE ILLest ... Remember that one dunk ... the one where he took off from ... where he got up so high ... how he cuffed it and reared back ... where it came out of nowhere ... the way he hung in the air for what seemed like forever ... the way that chap was thoroughly embarrassed when he tried to block it ... when he just rammed it home over that poor dude ... how all the defenders just got out the way ... the one that you thought was unimaginable ... how it made you wanna go out to the park and try it and talk about it with all your friends ... the one that gave you goose bumps and shivers on the replay? We do. What is the best in-game dunk of all time? Vince Carter, 2000 Tom Chambers, 1989 Kevin Johnson, 1994 Shawn Kemp, 1993 John Starks, 1993 Other Vince Carter: The French Toast (2000) VC's physics-defying dunk against the French National Team in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games set the basketball world on fire-the first website to post a video of this dunk crashed within hours due to overwhelming demand. It's one of those clips that you never get tired of watching; it just doesn't seem logical. Yes, he jumped entirely over a seven-footer. But what really astonishes about this play is that Vince took off a couple steps outside the lane. By the time he reached the basket, he had covered a lot of area, both vertically and horizontally. Jason Kidd, who was watching from the Team USA bench, called it the best play he's ever seen. But the baffled looks on GP and KG's faces, two guys who have participated in a lot of dunks over the years, really says it all. We heard that Freddy retired from basketball not long after this, and who can blame him? In his wildest dreams, Dr. James Naismith never could have imagined this. Shawn Kemp: The Lister Blister (1993) Alton Lister had a very solid 16-year career in which he averaged 6.6 points and 6.3 boards per game, and blocked 1,473 shots. It's unfortunate then, that he will forever be associated with this particularly nasty play that came during the '93 playoffs, Golden State versus Seattle. Romping through the lane, cuffing the ball, the windmill and the taunt, this dunk has it all: power, athleticism, attitude. Young Shawn Kemp was a destructive force of nature, and at this point in his career had already established himself as a fearsome dunker. Which makes us wonder: Alton, why didn't you take a cue from your Hall of Fame teammate Chris Mullin, and just get out of the way? E-mail photo | Buy photos John Starks took flight against Horace Grant and Michael Jordan in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals. Nathaniel S. Butler NBAE/Getty Images Tom Chambers: The Torture Chambers (1989) Look where Chambers' head is when he finally reaches the rim: he was actually looking down into the basket! This is one of those rare situations in which contact with another player makes the dunker go higher, in this case at the expense of Knicks point guard Mark Jackson [Ed. Note: Who, it should be noted, won Rookie of the Year that season]. Taking the pass on the break from Kevin Johnson, TC could've taken off at the free-throw line and still dunked...This play gets bonus points for Chambers' glorious mullet, which he proudly rocked until his retirement in '98. John Starks: The Dunk (1993) It was the annual Knicks-Bulls tussle. Game 2 of the '93 Conference Finals, to be exact. And as always, it was a tight affair going into the final minute-Knicks up three-but the game was decided when Starks turned the right corner from a Patrick Ewing pick-and-roll. The cavalry arrived in the form of Horace Grant and Michael Jordan. Starks went over both Grant and Jordan with his left hand, reaching for the greats of the Garden past hanging on the rafters-Clyde, Reed, Pearl, Holzman and company-to throw down the most famous dunk in Knickerbocker lore. MJ could've hopped on HoGrant's shoulders and it wouldn't have mattered, Starks would've still flushed it for the Garden faithful. Kevin Johnson: The Bad Dream (1994) Whether it's on the playground or in the NBA, big men feel a sense of entitlement to the paint. That's where they operate, where they earn their keep; they cede the rest of the court to the guards, but the precious space inside the key belongs to them. So when little men venture into their turf, the giants usually un-invite them by putting them on the floor. Well, this one was for little guys everywhere. Kevin Johnson-all 6-1 of him-was not going to be denied, especially on this day. After beating Kenny Smith on the left baseline, it was all a Dream for KJ. Hakeem Olajuwon stood in front of the basket waiting to serve up one of his nightly block specials. Johnson didn't knock on the big-man door for entry, he kicked it wide open for passage with this monstrous one-handed number over one of the best centers to ever play.
January 1, 200521 yr I really want to see Carter, Richardson, McGrady, and Bryant in the Slam Dunk Contest.
January 1, 200521 yr Author I really want to see Carter, Richardson, McGrady, and Bryant in the Slam Dunk Contest. 645882[/snapback] What's sad is there's barely no chance of seeing any of them in the Dunk Contest this year. I guess my only surprise about this list was the absence of Baron Davis. You could make a case for Richard Jefferson being up there, but he really hasn't done anything that special in a game.
January 1, 200521 yr Author If you're wondering why Kobe was number 2 on this list. Look at this picture. I'm sure most have you saw this one on Sportscenter (I was watching this game live), but I don't think most people realized what exactly Kobe did. The video of that dunk just doesn't do it justice. This picture does. Here's more: Jayson, can you find a clip of that? Thanks
January 2, 200521 yr Gerald Wallace can throw down with the best of 'em. I think they put Stevie Franchise too high. I'm not sure he'd even be in my top 10.
January 2, 200521 yr TMac, Bron, DWade, Vinsanity, Kobe, and J Richardson should all be in a slam dunk contest together.
January 2, 200521 yr Author Oh s***, I just realized Wade isn't there. I mean, I'm not saying he oughtta be there, but I just noticed he isnt'. He's an athlete and a terrific player but is he really a great dunker?
January 2, 200521 yr Wade is a good dunker but not better than most on that list. Problem with James is he isn't as artistic with his dunks like Bryant, Carter, McGrady, Mason, and Richardson.
January 2, 200521 yr Author Wade is a good dunker but not better than most on that list. Problem with James is he isn't as artistic with his dunks like Bryant, Carter, McGrady, Mason, and Richardson. 645987[/snapback] Definitley. He can get like head level with the rim but he just throws it down. When he one the McDonald's Dunk Contest, I was furious. He was the best athlete there but his dunks were lame.
January 2, 200521 yr 645967[/snapback] Awesome KJ was the man! Too bad we lost to Houston in back to back years.
January 2, 200521 yr The John Starks dunk was absolutely sick. The best dunk is the rock the baby by Dr. J
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