Dunks have become more inventive than ever today. Windmills, tomahawks, through-the-legs, and the 360s all come in numerous forms and combinations.
Due to their incredible athleticism, the greatest dunkers in NBA history almost seamlessly perform these kinds of dunks. They even hurl it down against taller opponents, which is common.
And yes, we love it. Punters are always trooping to top bookmakers like bookmaker.xyz for the most attractive odds on dunking events when their favorite basketball teams go to war on the court.
With several incredible talents having produced jaw-dropping slams, creating a list of the best is tough without struggling with who comes before who.
However, some incredible basketball players have cemented their places in spots no one else will occupy for a while.
Without further ado, here are the top five dunkers in NBA history.
Vince Carter
No doubt, Vince Carter is the best dunker in NBA history by a mile. Carter had many defenders watching on in frustration after a failed attempt to stop his powerful basket slams.
Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins were phenomenal, and after them, everyone had concluded no one else would do better, but then came Vince, who performed numerous impossible-looking dunks in the game.
In 2018, the NBA released a YouTube video compilation of Carter's top 5 dunks. In the video, the man himself, Vince Carter, gave a breakdown analysis of how he performed those incredible feats while providing an insight into his thought process at each moment.
Carter also executed the best dunk ever seen in a regulation game. During the 2000 Olympics, he managed to totally jump over the top of a 7-foot Frenchman called Frederic Weis. It's an unheard-of dunk that won't ever be repeated.
Michael Jordan
The greatest player to ever grace an NBA court, Michael Jordan, was a phenomenal dunker. His jumping ability had him slam uncountable baskets over just about any center.
Jordan was blessed with incredible speed that saw him lift off before any defender could stand in his way.
The distance wasn't a barrier to him, as Michael Jordan completed dunks after jumping towards the rim from distant positions.
Whether in a regulation game or a dunk contest, Jordan pulled off unbeatable dunks and was nearly unstoppable.
One of Michael Jordan's all-time finest dunks, a free throw line dunk, was delivered in the 1988 Slam Slam Contest. With his tongue out, he practically appeared to be flying as he made his way toward the basket.
Lebron James
LeBron James still remains one of the best dunkers in history despite never participating in an NBA dunk contest. Instead, he turned the actual NBA games into his own dunk contest.
With his signature tomahawk dunk in this situation, he is ever ready to take on larger players.
King James's athleticism makes him undoubtedly one of the most admired sportsmen, and even more fascinating is his athletic consistency. James is 37, yet he still jumps as he did during the early stages of his NBA career.
While dunking, Lebron's head often rose over the rim, and he routinely delivered brutal smashes in both open space and through traffic.
The Dallas Mavericks attempted everything to keep him from getting to the paint, which is why they were able to shut him down in the 2011 NBA Finals.
Julius Erving
Julius began playing basketball in the ABA, a more relaxed and artistically appealing league than the stuffy Knicks or Boston Celtics would have you believe.
After the leagues combined in 1976, he then applied these principles to the NBA, and this changed everything for the game.
He is easily the most influential dunker of all time. Basketball underwent a stylistic and substantive revolution thanks to Dr. J, who popularized dunking.
Even while there were undoubtedly others, Erving symbolized a change in the intensity of the game with an above-the-rim flare that sparked admiration and raised the NBA's entertainment value to a new level.
Erving was a guy who could make even a challenging layup look as simple as breathing. Dunking looked so easy when he was doing it.
Dr J palmed the ball effortlessly with his huge palms, allowing him to soar easily into the air. When you combine it with his vertical jump and stature, no other player can stop him from putting it down at the rim.
His "Rock the Baby" dunk, in which he held the ball in his arms and dunked it over Michael Cooper, maybe his most recognizable feat.
Dominique Wilkins
Dominique, one of the finest dunkers in the history of the NBA, will always be recognized for consistently producing spectacular dunks. He dunked the basketball with inventiveness and sheer force, producing beautiful end results.
He had a tremendous edge in throwing downs against larger players because of his 6-foot-8 stature and explosiveness.
Wilkins and Michael Jordan had one of the best dunk contests ever in 1988. The entire contest was a battle between power and hangtime. Jordan eventually won, although there was some contention that Wilkins had cheated.
Wilkins was the two-time dunk champion despite not taking home the 1988 title.
