The 25 greatest dunkers in NBA history

Carter was one of the most electric scorers of his era, and a big part of that was his flashy and powerful dunks. "Half-Man/Half-Amazing" has some of the most iconic dunks of all time, including his arm-in-the-rim dunk at the 2000 Dunk Contest. Of course, there was also the 2000 Olympics, where he jumped over a 7'2" player to throw one down.

He's Michael Jordan. He's the GOAT to many and a big part of his legacy is his activity above the rim. Dunking with both finesse and power, he was impossible to guard in-game, and he won back-to-back Dunk Contests in 1987 and 1988, too.

"The Human Highlight Film" pushed Jordan to the brink in the 1988 Dunk Contest. In-game, if you need a player to posterize you with force, 'Nique is your guy. His dunks were a contributing factor to Wilkins winning the NBA scoring title in the 1986 season.

Dr. J was a dunking pioneer, one of the first players to elevate throwing it down to an artform. In both the ABA and NBA, Erving's combination of power and grace put him above the rest, figuratively and literally. Perhaps his most iconic hangtime moment, though, isn't even a dunk, but his baseline scoop layup against the Lakers in the 1980 Finals.

Kemp didn't try to dunk over players: He tried to dunk through them. Kemp stood at nearly 7 feet tall and had the power of a big man, but possessed the agility of a smaller, more nimble player. His dunk on Alton Lister, in which Lister fell to the ground as Kemp pointed at him, is one of the most iconic slams in NBA history.

In the 2000s, J-Rich was quietly a 20-a-night guy for a few seasons, as his reputation was more staked on his dunking abilities. He was a strong in-game dunker, but he was a contest favorite, too: He won twice, back-to-back in 2002 and 2003.

Inversely to Richardson, Kobe's all-around legacy as an all-time great has perhaps overshadowed his abilities as a dunker. He's one of the best scorers and most accomplished players in league history, so perhaps it's easy to forget that back when he was still a fresh-faced teenager, he won the 1997 Dunk Contest.

There's a bit of a contentious history with LeBron and dunking. Despite clearly being awesome at it, he has never actually participated in an NBA Dunk Contest. Still, the power and grace of his in-game slams have provided enough entertainment during his two-decade-plus career.

From the moment Blake entered the NBA, he was one of the league's most electrifying dunkers. His highlight reel of in-game jams is full of some of the most devastating posters of all time. He's also a dunk contest icon, winning in 2011 thanks in part to dunking over a car.

The 2016 dunk contest was perhaps the greatest one of all time thanks to the face-off between Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon. While LaVine went home with the trophy, a case could have been made for either player to win: It was so close that the final round required four dunks from each of them to decide it.

With the 2016 victory, LaVine became one of just a few players to ever win back-to-back contests after emerging victorious in 2015, too. His incredible leaping ability is largely to thank, and it's an asset in games, too, when his acrobatics in transition routinely make highlight reels.

Drexler's hangtime afforded him one of the best nicknames in NBA history: "Clyde the Glide." Dunking was just part of the arsenal that made Drexler an elite scorer and finisher in his day. He's one of the greatest dunkers to never win the contest, despite participating in five of them in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1989.

At 5'9", Robinson doesn't stand out in a crowd of everyday civilians. He did in the NBA, though, both due to his relative lack of height and his relatively spectacular vertical leap. He's one of the greatest contest dunkers ever, as he has three wins under his belt.

McGrady participated in the memorable 2000 Dunk Contest, facing off against his cousin Vince Carter, who won the competition. In his physical prime, T-Mac's combination of length and bounce made him dangerous around the rim. He would frequently make tough finishes over tall shot blockers, making them look not all that big in the process.

Webb became a Dunk Contest icon by winning the 1986 iteration, largely because he's... well, not that large. He stands at 5'7", so the fact that he could soar up to the 10-foot rim was phenomenal. Looking back at the video now, the dunks seem somewhat pedestrian, but it's the fact that he could do them at all that's unreal.

It's still early in Morant's career, but he has already established himself as an elite-level rim attacker. He's only 6'2", but he'll put anybody on a poster. Suspensions and injuries have kept Morant off the court for significant stretches, but when he's playing, he's a feared force in the paint.

Miner never lived up to the "Baby Jordan" nickname he was given; His NBA career only lasted four seasons. But the moniker was justified strictly in terms of his dunking ability. His contributions to dunk contest history are his lasting legacy, as he won the competition in 1993 and 1995.

Not only is Russ one of a handful of players to ever average a triple-double over the course of a season, but he's done it multiple times. He's not known as a long-range shooter as he does most of his scoring inside. That includes dunking, throwing down some of the most powerful slams ever for a guard.

Green initially flamed out of the NBA after a few seasons, but following a couple of years overseas, he returned for a solid second act, ultimately enjoying a 12-year NBA career. The highlight of that run was his dunking, both in-game and during the dunk contest. He's responsible for some particularly inventive dunks, like throwing it down while blowing out a candle placed in a cupcake on the back of the rim.

Shaq is very much not a finesse dunker: It's all about power. He has a reputation for breaking backboards. One of the strongest players to ever play the game, O'Neal was known for being completely unstoppable inside, so much so that teams had to employ the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy of fouling to send him to the free-throw line.

A core member of the successful 2000s Atlanta Hawks teams, Smith was one of the league's best in-game dunkers at the time. He stood at 6'8" but had a 7-foot wingspan, and combined with his vertical leaping ability, he was frequently able to embarrass defenders by throwing it down right over them.

Howard participated in four dunk contests, winning one in 2008. A physical specimen, Howard was ferocious during game action, too. Dwight was more limber than most people his size and was one of the NBA's biggest lob and posterization threats in the 2000s and 2010s.

Despite standing at 6'3", "Stevie Franchise" was one of the more respected dunkers of the 2000s. He had solid contest showings in 2000 and 2002, making it to the finals alongside Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady in 2000. In games, he was able to slam it home with surprising force.

There was a long stretch in the 2000s and 2010s where Smith was one of the league's best bench players. He was one of the NBA's finest dunkers, too. He was always a threat for an alley-oop or transition dunk, generated attention on offense that took defensive pressure off his teammates.

Still in his early 20s, Edwards has already emerged as one of the NBA's biggest stars. In the realm of dunking, his 2021 finish over Yuta Watanabe is one of the most iconic jams in recent years. He hasn't done a dunk contest yet, but it's an environment in which he would surely thrive.