50 of the Most Memorable Dunks from the 2010-11 Season

Blake Griffin Spins and Dunks

We start off the list with one of Blake Griffin's most memorable dunks.

In this one, Griffin finds himself on the fast break with only Danilo Gallinari in the way. Naturally, he dunks on him.

However, Griffin also added some extra flair. Instead of simply throwing it down (because that's too boring for Blake Griffin), he spins around Gallinari and posters him from the opposite side.

If you liked this dunk, you'll love the rest of the slideshow. I can guarantee you there is a lot more Blake Griffin coming up.

Dorell Wright Throws Down a Reverse Alley-Oop

Alley-oop dunks are nice. Reverse alley-oop dunks, however, are really nice. It's not often we get to see them.

Courtesy of Dorell Wright and Stephen Curry, a reverse alley-oop dunk from the opposite three-point line is available for your pleasure.

Here, it's hard to decide who earns more credit for this dunk. Wright certainly notched the points in style. However, Curry made a pass from three-quarters of the court away from the hoop, and it had to be right on the money for Wright to be able to slam it home reverse-style.

Either way, I would like to thank both Curry and Wright for providing us with this dunk.

Kevin Durant Drops the Hammer on Brendan Haywood

He didn't end up winning the NBA Championship, but Kevin Durant got one over the Dallas Mavericks with this absolutely nasty dunk in the Western Conference Finals.

After blowing past Peja Stojakovic on the perimeter (and really, what was Stojakovic doing guarding Durant one-on-one anyways?), Durantula gets to the rim and makes a poster out of Brendan Haywood.

Haywood may have gotten the ring in the end, but I'm sure he wishes that this had not marred the winning effort.

Kevin Durant Drops the Hammer on Zach Randolph

Not only did he crush one over Brendan Haywood, but Kevin Durant also dunked on Zach Randolph in the playoffs.

Despite getting whacked in the head mid-dunk, Durant manages to force it down anyways, which results in another poster.

To make matters worse for Randolph, his Grizzlies lost to Durant's Thunder in seven games.

James Harden Goes Coast-to-Coast and Dunks on J.J. Hickson

Not only can he grow a magnificent beard, but James Harden can dunk as well. At least, that's what he let on here.

After securing the rebound on defense, Harden speeds down the court with the ball in his hands, outrunning all but one defender. He goes all the way to the rim and slams one down on that last defender, J.J. Hickson.

If there is a moral to the story, perhaps it is to let James Harden outrun you next time. Otherwise, it could be you getting dunked on

Ron Artest Made a Poster?!?!

It's not often that we see Ron Artest actually throw down a dunk, much less a reverse dunk.

After going baseline past Chris Kaman, Artest slammed a dunk home over the head of the 7-footer. It was a magnificent dunk and show of athleticism, especially for a guy who isn't known for either of those things.

Artest definitely earned the right to celebrate after this dunk, and he did by leaping and flexing his muscles simultaneously for all to see. Not bad, Metta World Peace, not bad.

Serge Ibaka Takes off from Behind the Free-Throw Line

In one of the best dunk contests in recent memory, Serge Ibaka slammed home an incredible dunk in which he took off from behind the free-throw line.

To put this into perspective, this is a dunk that has been done before by athletes such as Michael Jordan and Julius Erving. Coming into the dunk contest, nobody expected something like this out of the raw shotblocker.

Now, however, we know him as Air Congo.

DeMar DeRozan Slams a Tomahawk Dunk over Tyrus Thomas

DeMar DeRozan is one of the most athletic dunkers in the league.

As someone who was able to dunk by sixth grade, DeRozan has already made two appearances in the annual Sprite Slam Dunk Competition—one for each year he has been in the league.

Despite that, I was still (pleasantly) surprised when I saw this dunk. Though Tyrus Thomas is largely considered to be a bust, he is still an athletic shotblocker who will reject a shot or two nightly.

When DeRozan slammed this tomahawk dunk over him, however, I had no choice but to yell à la play-by-play commentator Matt Devlin.

DeAndre Jordan Throws Down an Alley-Oop on Dirk Nowitzki

Blake Griffin is not the only Clipper big man able to throw down highlight-reel worthy dunks.

The athletic DeAndre Jordan can also slam some dunks home and poster a few noteworthy German stars. This play is proof of that.

After receiving an alley-oop pass from Mo Williams, DeAndre Jordan had himself a perfect opportunity to slam home an alley-oop dunk on one of the greatest international players of all-time, the reigning Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki.

So he did.

Eric Gordon Dunks on James Anderson

Eric Gordon threw down a very nice tomahawk dunk on James Anderson in this clip. Off of an inbounds play, Gordon received the ball and slipped past his defender to dunk on a hapless James Anderson.

Not only did Gordon make a fool out of Anderson, but he also made sideline reporter Rebecca Haarlow feel a bit foolish as she was interrupted by the famous "Me, oh my!" from FSN West play-by-play broadcaster Ralph Lawler.

Perhaps that annoyed her and was the reason why she hastily called this dunk "a nice dunk" afterwards before resuming her report. Let me tell you, it was definitely much more than just a nice dunk.

LeBron James Makes a Fool out of Ian Mahinmi

Love him or hate him, LeBron is one of the best players in the NBA right now.

One of the reasons he's such a great player is that his physical profile is almost inhuman. LeBron has a 6'8", 250 lb frame and he is built like a freight train.

Using his combination of strength and agility, LeBron is a player who has no trouble getting into the paint. Usually however, the defense will collapse on him, either forcing him into a difficult layup (which he will still convert) or sending him to the free throw line.

This time the defense did not collapse on The King. The only defender in his path was the hapless Ian Mahinmi.

He ended up getting dunked on.

Russell Westbrook Soars over the Houston Rockets

Russell Westbrook is widely known around the league as probably the best dunking point guard.

He proved it here. Though he stands only 6'0" tall, he was taller than everyone else when he leaped into the Houston Rockets defense and dunked on everyone.

There must've been three or four Rockets in the paint, but Westbrook fearlessly charged into the paint, got up, and delivered.

Shane Battier got the worst of it and was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.

I mean, come on. You can't let a 6'0" point guard dunk on you like that!

Dwight Howard Shows Why He's Superman

They call Dwight Howard 'Superman' for a reason. Here it is.

Omer Asik is not a soft center by any stretch of imagination. He's certainly young and raw, but he is a fighter.

Despite that, Dwight simply overpowered him with this dunk. After making a move on him in the low post, Dwight decided to dunk all over Omer Asik.

Poor Asik was knocked aside, away and out as Dwight simply made a mess of things.

Bill Walker Rises over Andrew Bogut

Bill Walker isn't a household name, but he can certainly dunk. Andrew Bogut can testify.

After getting the ball in the corner, Walker drove baseline and found 7'0" big man Andrew Bogut in his way. Instead of forcing up an awkward shot, Walker kept going and dunked on the Australian center.

The Knicks were still down by 23 points after that play, but I'm sure Andrew Bogut was feeling a bit down as well after being dunked on like that.

Andre Iguodala Throws One Down on Gerald Wallace

Andre Iguodala is a great dunker. It's very hard to stop him when he gets into the air.

Gerald Wallace certainly couldn't. Even with him pushing Iguodala in the chest, Iguodala managed to extend his arms out far enough to complete the posterization of Wallace.

Really, his face after the dunk tells you all you need to know.

JaVale McGee and the Three Ball Dunk

Oh man. In this year's dunk contest, many felt JaVale McGee was robbed of a win due to biased fan voting. They felt this way because McGee had a spectacular performance with dunks such as this one.

Holding two basketballs himself, McGee tried to dunk both basketballs as well as one tossed to him by teammate John Wall in one motion.

Obviously, that's a difficult dunk to pull off. This is one that helped McGee contribute to what I think will be an all-time classic as far as dunk contests go.

Blake Griffin Demolishes Nenad Krstic

Here it is, the long-awaited second Blake Griffin dunk of the slideshow.

In this one, Griffin starts off being guarded by Jeff Green. With a quick first step, he explodes past Green and dunks the ball over the help defender, Nenad Krstic.

You have to figure it sucks to be Krstic in that scenario.

Kobe Bryant Dunks on Carl Landry with His Left Hand

Kobe Bryant is definitely one of the NBA's greatest of all-time. Still, at the age of 32, Kobe is no longer a player that we expect nasty posterizations out of.

However, this play makes it clear that he can still throw down dunks like these regardless.

After getting past his defender, Kobe went straight to the rim and finished strong while making Carl Landry look weak. Hell, Kobe finished with his left hand!

Still, that dunk isn't much better than...

Kobe Bryant Posterizes Emeka Okafor

...this one. In the same game as the previous dunk, Kobe reminds us once again that he still has the legs to get up and dunk over a big man.

With this dunk, Kobe proves that despite the wear and tear, he is still a good dunker. He might not be the high-flyer he was in 1997 when he won the Slam Dunk Contest, but he still has some jump left in him.

Chris Bosh Serves Up a Facial

For someone who is constantly called soft, Chris Bosh got in a nice and aggressive dunk here.

After receiving a nice pass from LeBron James, Bosh rolls towards the hoop and tears down a vicious dunk over Carlos Boozer.

While he may not be as aggressive as his teammates Dwyane Wade and LeBron James when it comes to attacking the rim, Bosh is still a player who can and will posterize defenders much like his perennial All-Star teammates.

Shannon Brown Switches Hands

By now, Shannon Brown has established himself as one of the league's most dynamic dunkers. Though he stands only 6'4", he can really get up there because of his vertical leap of 44.5 inches—one of the highest in the league.

This dunk is proof of that.

After picking up the loose ball, Brown speeds down the court, outrunning all the defenders. Then, he takes off from around the middle of the key, switches hands mid-air, and throws it down with his left hand.

There was no launching pad underneath him, but it is a mistake many often make.

Hakim Warrick Knocks out Yi Jianlian

Steve Nash doesn't need Amar'e Stoudemire. All he needs is an athletic power forward able to play the pick-and-roll with him. Though he's not an All-Star like STAT, Hakim Warrick certainly fits the bill.

Here he shows why a simple athletic power forward is all Nash needs.

After setting a pick, Warrick rolled to the hoop. Nash found him with a nifty bounce pass, and Warrick found himself with a hoop and Yi Jianlian standing underneath it.

The reason Nash needs an athletic power forward is because his power forwards need to be able to do something like this to be the ideal pick-and-roll partner. The reason he doesn't need the whole package such as Amar'e Stoudemire is because any athletic power forward able to do this is good enough.

Then again, how many power forwards can take advantage of 7'0" big men like Warrick has here?

Nene Goes Coast-to-Coast

This should never, ever happen if you're the defense.

Nene picks up the loose ball, and charges down court. The 6'11" center outruns Russell Westbrook, and hustles fast enough that instead of getting bogged down at the perimeter by the defense, he is at the rim to meet the defense with an earth-splitting dunk.

He is a 6'11" center. Those should never go coast-to-coast on your defense.

Al Thornton Dunks on Zaza Pachulia

Oh. My. God. What's got into Al Thornton?

Getting the ball while trailing the fast break, Al Thornton immediately rushes straight into the paint to try and get an easy score. Even with Zaza Pachulia in his way, he got the score.

The poor big man was dunked on by Thornton, and it was nasty. Thornton dropped a tomahawk hammer on him, and Pachulia was humiliated as he gave up two points to the small forward.

He really put the 'Thor' in 'Thornton' with this dunk.

Wilson Chandler with a Nasty Reverse Dunk on JaVale McGee

Wilson Chandler absolutely took out JaVale McGee with this dunk.

Going baseline past the big man, he turned around and threw down a nasty reverse dunk on the 7-footer, slamming the ball over McGee's outstretched arm.

Not only did he bring the house down on McGee, but he also put an exclamation point on the Knicks' 11-2 run and forced a time-out.

Chandler's in Denver now after the blockbuster Carmelo Anthony trade, but he sure gave Knicks fans something to remember him by with this posterization of JaVale McGee.

Derrick Rose Slams Down an Amazing One-Handed Alley-Oop

As the MVP of the NBA, Derrick Rose is obviously one of the league's most talented players. He can really do everything. He's quick, he's a dynamic scorer, he's a great playmaker and, obviously, he can jump.

With this dunk, he jumps high to catch the alley-oop pass from Ronnie Brewer before slamming it down—all with one hand.

To be honest, I don't need to say too much. Neil Funk and Stacey King handled the situation perfectly, in my opinion.

Blake Griffin and the Car Dunk

It's one thing to dunk on a human being. We see those all the time, especially from this man.

So to mix it up a bit, Blake Griffin introduces a car for him to dunk on. With teammate Baron Davis holding the basketball and peering out of the sunroof, Blake Griffin runs towards the basket. As he leapt over the car, Davis passed him the ball and Griffin finished the alley-oop dunk.

This dunk capped off the winning effort as Griffin brought home the gold in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. I'd bet he wins it for the next couple of years as well.

Shaq Slams an Alley-Oop Dunk over Jeff Foster

At the age of 39 (the league's oldest player before he retired), nobody is expecting Shaquille O'Neal to be dunking on people as ruthlessly as he did when he was in his prime.

However, he did get a posterization during the season. Catching an alley-oop pass from Paul Pierce, Shaq slammed it home right over Jeff Foster, earning himself a standing ovation from the crowd.

Shaq's expression afterwards said it all.

Dwyane Wade Alley-Oops to LeBron James

Now, we all knew there was going to be one of these somewhere. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are such a dynamic duo that, even if you hate them, you have to watch dunks like these.

With an easy fast break dunk, D-Wade decided to entertain the home crowd a bit and alley-ooped to LeBron James instead of crushing it home himself. James threw down a vicious dunk, and it was obvious that the crowd loved it.

Shannon Brown Throws Down an Amazing Alley-Oop

To continue this recent trend of alley-oop dunks, here we have one that might not have been.

Steve Blake lobbed the ball to Shannon Brown, but threw it off just a bit. Despite that, Brown managed to reach back and grab it with one hand before flushing it down with two.

Mark Jackson is correct in saying that Shannon Brown can make bad passes look good. This one looked very good.

Rodney Stuckey Slams It Down on Chris Bosh

How surprised were you when you read the title and realized Chris Bosh was dunked on by a point guard?

Probably not too surprised, given Bosh's reputation as a soft player.

Catching the pass at the top of the three-point arc, Rodney Stuckey immediately drives towards the rim. Bosh rotates over, but is too late and finds himself dunked on by Stuckey.

If you're a power forward, you can't ever let this happen to you. Being dunked on by a point guard who has no real reputation as a dunker is too humiliating.

There's no denying Chris Bosh is a good player, but he's a humiliated good player because of this.

Derrick Rose Mistakes Danilo Gallinari for Goran Dragic

In the 2009-10 season, Derrick Rose dunked on Goran Dragic. Then last season he treats us with a similar dunk on Danilo Gallinari.

Quickly getting past Toney Douglas on the perimeter, Rose charges towards the rim. With Gallinari in his way, Rose simply elevates, brings the ball back for a bit of extra flair, then drops the hammer on Gallo as if he were Goran Dragic.

Who will he posterize next year with that deadly two handed tomahawk dunk? We can only guess.

LaMarcus Aldridge Posterizes Michael Beasley on an Alley-Oop

This year, LaMarcus Aldridge has really stepped his game up with the extended absences of Brandon Roy due to injury.

So has Michael Beasley, who has clicked much better with the Minnesota Timberwolves than he has ever with the Miami Heat.

However, when the two met, Aldridge absolutely destroyed Beasley. Rolling to the hoop after setting a pick, Aldridge received an alley-oop pass from Rudy Fernandez and proceeded to dunk the ball regardless of the Michael Beasley in the way.

Let me tell you, Twitter went crazy after this dunk. Good job, Michael Beasley.

Russell Westbrook Gets Up and Throws Down a Windmill Dunk

When you give Russell Westbrook a 1-on-0 fast break opportunity, you know something exciting is going to happen.

In this clip, that was the case. With nobody in between him and the basket, Westbrook gave the home fans a treat with a windmill dunk.

With Six Seconds Left in the Quarter, J.R. Smith Dunks on Gary Neal

Six seconds isn't a lot of time to get a bucket. Most players would just let the time tick away before heaving up a low-percentage jumper.

J.R. Smith makes it a productive six seconds.

Getting the ball inbounded to him, he speeds down the court and slams it down on Gary Neal. Neal tried to draw the charge, but ended up looking like a fool and giving up the three-point play as he was posterized.

All in less than six seconds.

Tyreke Evans Also Dunks on Gary Neal

J.R. Smith wasn't the only guard to make a nasty poster out of Gary Neal. The former Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans gave Neal a piece of his mind as well.

Receiving the ball on the fast break, nobody stops Evans and he zooms into the paint. Gary Neal tries to slide in and take a charge (as in the last clip), and once again gets dunked on while fouling the dunker.

Poor Gary Neal. You have to feel sorry for him.

Dwight Howard Crushes Jrue Holiday

A big man dunking on a point guard is a play that will rarely find its way to the highlight reel, especially when the big man is question is Dwight Howard.

However, Dwight absolutely destroyed young Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday in this clip.

It was Jameer Nelson on the fast break with Dwight Howard trailing. Spencer Hawes and Jrue Holiday, the only two defenders, both focused in on Nelson. That allowed him to quickly flip up the ball and feed Dwight for the alley-oop jam.

The thing is, Jrue Holiday tried to contest Dwight's dunk, perhaps not realizing it was Dwight Howard. Instead, he ended up getting dunked on and embarassed by Howard.

Maybe next time, Holiday will have learned to just give Dwight the slam.

Blake Griffin Finishes an Alley-Oop Passed from 50 Feet Away

With Blake Griffin, amazing plays are a dime a dozen. However, it's not every day you see an alley-oop thrown from 50 feet away from the basket you're trying to score on.

Obviously, Blake Griffin manages to complete one of those.

After his team comes up with the defensive rebound, Griffin immediately runs from where he had been (underneath the rim crashing for the rebound) to the opposite end of the court. By the time he's ready to catch the alley-oop, Randy Foye is still at the opposite three-point line.

To reward him for his hustle, Foye tosses him an alley-oop pass. Griffin flushes it down for many oohs and aahs.

Dwyane Wade Spins Through the Defense and Dunks on Kendrick Perkins

Dwyane Wade is a phenomenal athlete. He is strong, quick, and has incredible jumping ability. Combine that with his fearlessness and determination to get to the basket, and you have a player that's going to provide us with some nasty dunks.

This is probably his best slam from last season.

Getting past his defender on the perimeter, Wade spins past the help defense he meets and proceeds to dunk on the last defender underneath the hoop, Kendrick Perkins.

Afterwards, Wade did a bit of a dance to show the world how he felt.

Tyson Chandler Makes LeBron James Look Dumb

Probably the best dunk in the NBA Finals, Tyson Chandler got a slam dunk in on everyone's most hated player: LeBron James.

While I'm a fan of LeBron, I still love this dunk. Chandler made LeBron look dumb with this one.

Picking up the ball as he rolled to the rim, Chandler went up for a dunk. Being the shotblocker that he is, LeBron tried to go up and deny Chandler's dunk. However, Chandler double-pumped the ball, faking LeBron out before slamming it down for good.

I'm sure both Cavs fans and Mavs fans are loving this.

Armar'e Stoudemire's Savage Dunk on Greg Monroe

One of the most vicious dunkers in the league, Amar'e Stoudemire gave us another one of his savage posterizations against the Detroit Pistons.

When the Pistons' Ben Wallace went to save a loose ball from falling out of bounds, he accidentally gave the ball to STAT. With the ball in his hands and no defenders near him apart from Greg Monroe, Stoudemire went straight to the rim and got all over Monroe as he dunked on the rookie.

Keep it up, Amar'e!

Jason Richardson Flushes a Half-Court Alley-Oop with One Hand

This is just an incredible play to watch. Jameer Nelson tosses Richardson an alley-oop pass from half-court, and with one hand, Richardson flushes it in.

Though J-Rich is an established dunker in the NBA, I did not see this one coming. He had to get up high and extend his arm to grab Nelson's pass before sending it home.

I could watch this play over and over again. It's not particularly flashy, but it is nice.

Blake Griffin Posterizes Timofey Mozgov with a Putback Dunk

Obviously, Blake Griffin is a great dunker. To add a twist to things, this dunk isn't any ordinary dunk. This time, Griffin posterizes someone on a putback dunk!

After Griffin sets a pick, the ball-handler drives towards the rim and puts up a shot. As he rolled to the rim, Griffin arrived just in time to slam the ball down right over the head of Timofey Mozgov.

As good as he is, this isn't something many people expected out of Griffin. I mean seriously, a putback dunk poster?

DeMar DeRozan and "The Show Stopper"

The last entrant in the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest that I haven't showed is DeMar DeRozan. He didn't make it out of the first round, but he was great nonetheless.

DeRozan was vocal about his displeasure regarding the usage of props by the other competitors. Griffin had used a car, Ibaka had used a stuffed doll, and McGee had used an extra basket.

"I'm a dunker. Dunk contests, you go out there and dunk. I'm not into all the props and everything," DeRozan said after the dunk contest.

Obviously, DeRozan abstained from using a prop. It may have put him at a disadvantage (something DeRozan recognized, saying that props "cheapen" dunk contests), but he put on a solid show nonetheless.

With "The Show Stopper", DeRozan earned a perfect score, showing it can still be done without props. Giving himself a bounce pass off the floor, DeRozan grabbed the ball with one hand, and windmilled it under the basket to complete the reverse dunk.

There was a high degree of difficulty on that dunk, something most dunk enthusiasts will appreciate. While DeRozan didn't make it out of the first round, if there been no props used in the dunk contest, DeRozan may have won.

Ray Allen Dunks on Chris Bosh

Though he is arguably the best three-point shooter in NBA history, Ray Allen is quietly a very versatile scorer. While his ability to shoot is obviously what makes him great, Allen can score when attacking the rim as well.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean he has a reputation as a dunker. So, when Allen drops the hammer on Chris Bosh, you can imagine the surprise.

This was a nice dunk. Gotta give props to Allen on this one.

JaVale McGee Dunks on Two Hoops at Once

It's one thing to dunk on a basketball hoop. However, JaVale McGee decided to spice things up in this year's dunk contest, bringing in an extra hoop to dunk on.

Passing a basketball to himself off one of the backboards, McGee slammed that ball and another one that he held in two seperate hoops.

This and the three ball dunk from earlier were both part of an incredible effort McGee made to get to the finals of the dunk contest before losing to Blake Griffin.

Taj Gibson Posterizes Dwyane Wade

Probably the best dunk in all of the playoffs, sophomore Taj Gibson absolutely crushed Dwyane Wade to the pleasure of many.

When Gibson went up for the fast break dunk on D-Wade, Wade put both of his hands up in an effort to deny Gibson's dunk. That failed, and Gibson ended up dunking right over Wade's outstretched arms.

Needless to say, this dunk will likely rank as one of Gibson's best dunks even after a lengthy NBA career.

Hakim Warrick Rises and Dunks on Paul Millsap

Another Hakim Warrick posterization resulting from a pick-and-roll with Steve Nash, this one makes a fool of Paul Millsap.

Rolling to the rim and receiving the ball, Warrick once again finds himself in perfect position to rise up and dunk on yet another help defender. Paul Millsap could only hope that the aerodynamic Warrick would miss the dunk.

Well, that didn't work.

Amar'e Stoudemire Drops a Sledgehammer on LeBron James

Amar'e Stoudemire dunking on LeBron James. Just imagining that is something that can get all of LeBron's haters excited.

Well, there's no need to imagine something that physically happened and found its way onto YouTube.

After receiving the ball down low, Amar'e Stoudemire went right at James. One of the most aggressive dunkers in the league, James was absolutely crushed by Stoudemire.

The two could've been teammates after the free agent frenzy of 2010, but instead they end up on different teams, allowing for this to happen.

One has to wonder, was it really the smartest decision by LeBron not to team with STAT? It would have certainly spared him the humiliation of getting dunked on by his would-be teammate.

Blake Griffin's Famous Dunk on Timofey Mozgov

We started this slideshow with a Blake Griffin spin dunk on Danilo Gallinari. It seems fitting to end it with an even better posterization from the same game.

I'd be damned if anyone resembling a sports fan has not yet seen this footage. This is probably the play of the season to many (myself included), and was shown repeatedly just about everywhere.

When Griffin received the ball off a pick-and-roll, he went after Timofey Mozgov as if Mozgov had a price on his head. Jumping over the 7-footer, Griffin slammed the ball into the rim while using his free hand to grab Mozgov's head and push it into his groin—the ultimate insult.

Kevin Yeung is a contributor for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @kevinyeung_.

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