The best part of watching basketball (besides seeing your team win) is watching amazing athletes slam dunk that ball. There have been many great dunks in the history of the NBA and some amazing athletes executing them. There are five who stand out as the best slam dunk kings of all time. Pictures are never as good as watching a live slam dunk, or even watching a replay. See if you agree with these top five slam dunk kings of all time and then go look up some of their video highlights because dunks are always amazing to watch.
1Vince Carter
Vince Carter is absolutely amazing on the court, which is probably why is nickname is “Half-man, Half Amazing.” In the 2000 slam dunk contest, Carter pulled off what is considered the best slam dunk of all time. Then he wowed the entire stadium and everyone watching by pulling off four more amazing dunks. One of the commentators even made a comment about him giving Michael Jordan a run for his money. That he did, as Vince Carter gets my vote as the number one slam dunk king.
2Michael Jordan
Although not my first place pick, Michael Jordan certainly comes in a close second. To the average person, they would probably name him the best dunk artist of all time. Jordan’s dunks are known for their style, grace and originality. The most famous slam-dunk of Michael Jordan’s career comes from the 1988 slam dunk contest where Jordan literally jumped from the free throw line and landed a right handed dunk. Michael Jordan is a slam dunk king because he made some of the most amazing dunks look easy.
3Dr J – Julius Erving
Dr. J is the pioneer of the slam dunk. Before him, basketball games were played on the court, not above the rim. Many credit Julius Erving for redefining the way basketball is played and bringing much more emphasis to the above the rim style of play. He could be credited for stylizing the dunk and making it an art form. Dr. J is best known for the windmill, the tomahawk and the alley-oop.
4Lebron James
Lebron James is an amazing player and slam dunk pro. Many fans wish he would enter a slam dunk contest but King James refuses, only showing his above the rim prowess during warm-ups, games and clinics. That doesn’t stop him from being in the top five though. The dunks he is throwing down in game are slam dunk contest quality, except he does not have time to measure out distance and calculate speed. Even more amazing is that he is performing slam dunk contest winning type dunks while being guarded by the other team.
5Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins is a 9-time NBA All-Star and number five on the list of the greatest slam dunk kings of all time. He even earned the nickname “The Human Highlight Film” because every thing he did was worthy of a replay. Wilkins was amazing and he did something that many basketball players of his time dreamed to do. He beat Michael Jordan in the 1985 slam dunk contest. Although Dominique Wilkins certainly was one of the best players of his time, he can be counted among the ranks of exceptional players who did not get a ring during their career because they just couldn’t beat Michael Jordan.