Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin has wowed fans with some of the most
spectacular slams in recent memory. But where does he rank among the
greatest dunkers of all time?
10.
Dwight Howard
Not
only does Howard lead the league in dunks each season, he's also a
showman. No one will forget Superman's flight from the foul line in the
2008 dunk contest.
9. Darryl
Dawkins
"Dunk You Very Much," "Yo Mama," "In
Your Face Disgrace," and "Rim Wrecker" are just a few of the names
Dawkins called his dunks. But whatever the name, "Chocolate Thunder" was
a powerful force. His backboard-breaking slams in 1979 forced the NBA
to adopt the breakaway rim.
8.
Blake
Griffin
Griffin's dunks
are already legendary, and there's no doubt he'll move up the list if he
shows us more of the spectacular slams we've witnessed in his young
career.
7. Connie
Hawkins
A New
York City playground legend, 'The Hawk' was one of basketball's original
high-flyers and premier dunk artists. He spent his early professional
years in the ABL and ABA before he was allowed to bring his skills to
the NBA in 1969.
6. Kobe
Bryant
Dunking is just a
small part of Kobe's incredible offensive arsenal, so it's easy to
forget what a spectacular slammer he was in his early years. Bryant was
the youngest dunk contest winner at age 18 in 1997. Fifteen years later,
he still throws one down occasionally.
5. Shawn
Kemp
The
Reign Man had a wide range of posterizing dunks and ferociously finished
Gary Payton's alley-oops for nearly a decade in Seattle.
4. Julius
Erving
A lot of
people dunked before Dr. J, but he may be the one who turned it into an
art form. Among his innovations was the free-throw-line takeoff during
the first slam dunk contest at the 1976 All-Star weekend.
3. Dominique
Wilkins
Wilkins
regularly pulled off slams during games that you normally only see
during dunk contests. His windmill dunks through the lane were a
trademark of late-'80s NBA basketball.
2. Vince Carter
Carter's two most memorable dunks did
not come during an NBA game. His elbow-in-the-rim dunk dubbed the
"Honey Dip" locked up the 2000 slam dunk title, and at the 2000 Summer
Olympics in Sydney, he pulled off the "Dunk of Death" when he jumped
over 7-foot-2 French center Frederic
Weis
1.
Michael Jordan
A
two-time slam dunk champion, Michael Jordan created slams that are still
talked about today. His free-throw-line flight and his facial on
Patrick Ewing will be in every NBA highlight video until
eternity.
