Best Dunks of the NBA Season Following Anthony Edwards' Showstopper
Anthony Edwards had NBA fans blowing up social media with pictures, videos and reactions of his eye-popping (literally for John Collins, who suffered a head contusion on the play) dunk against the Utah Jazz.
It was far from the first outrageous dunk of 2023-24 for Edwards, who could probably populate a nasty top-10 slideshow all by himself. This season alone, he has that thrunk above, a ridiculous off-the-backboard slam against the Memphis Grizzlies and a gliding cock-back dunk on the Detroit Pistons, just to name a few.
So, in fairness to the rest of the league, we're going to limit players to one entry below (and based on Monday night's reaction, you can probably guess which Edwards play will make the cut).
Edwards is far from the only NBA player making absurd highlights this season, though. Plenty of others have pulled off some feats worth highlighting in the top 10 below.
10. Cam Whitmore on Jordan Hawkins
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A theme seems to be developing here. Cam Whitmore is yet another player who probably deserves multiple nods, but rules are rules.
And if we're going to settle on just one of his jams, we'll go with his semi-transition drop-step dunk on Jordan Hawkins.
Whitmore was on the move, put the brakes on around the baseline, drop-stepped back toward the bucket and rose up for a two-foot, two-handed rim-rattler.
9. LeBron James on Paul George
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LeBron James has certainly had more impressive individual highlights in his career than this one.
But come on. The man is 39 years old. He should not still be able to transform from human to freight train to airplane like this.
He took off from a step inside the free-throw line here. He had a 6'8" defender right in the middle of his path to the rim. And he hammered it home anyway.
8. Malik Monk on Kris Dunn
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It's easy to forget, since it happened way back in October. Malik Monk has also had a number of worthy candidates since then.
But early in the season, on a fast break in which Kris Dunn was just in the wrong place at the wrong time (or maybe not, since his turnover caused the break), Monk absolutely detonated on the rim and the one defender in front of him.
7. Jalen Johnson on Austin Reaves
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On the same night Edwards lit the internet ablaze, Jalen Johnson (who also has multiple candidates for this slideshow) had a poster of his own.
As was the case with Dunn, Austin Reaves just happened to be the only man in the way. He even tried to take a charge, but Johnson would not be deterred.
6. Jalen Green on Anfernee Simons
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It's easy to get nitpicky about his scoring efficiency, or lack thereof, but Jalen Green is a highlight machine.
And earlier this month, Anfernee Simons was on the wrong end of one.
Green took off from outside the restricted area, got his face to the rim and did it all with a defender in his face. Somehow, the Houston Rockets are making moments like this feel almost pedestrian.
They aren't.
5. Ja Morant on Victor Wembanyama
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Ja Morant only appeared in nine games this season, but that was enough for him to give us one of the highlights of the year when he had the chance to face Victor Wembanyama
Early in the fourth quarter of their January meeting, Morant shook Wemby with a right-to-left crossover, which gave him just enough time to get from one side of the paint to the other and then elevate to the rim before Wembanyama could fully recover.
By the time Wemby got his hand to the basket, it was too late.
4. Victor Wembanyama on Brook Lopez
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Victor Wembanyama's rookie season has been outrageous on multiple levels, including his knack for dunking all over people.
So far, he's already had an off-the-backboard slam in the halfcourt, a follow dunk on top of Christian Wood and a go-go-gadget jam from a step inside the free-throw line.
But the most impressive has to be this.
Wembanyama is 7'4". In transition, he has the skill and wherewithal to take it behind his back to avoid Damian Lillard's steal attempt. And despite doing that inside the free-throw line, he was still quick enough to explode to the rim and finish with two hands on a contesting Brook Lopez.
We've never seen a combination of size and explosiveness quite like this, and Wemby has given us several highlights to prove it already.
3. Andre Jackson Jr. on Jalen Slawson
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There may have been a hint of the Tom Chambers "get a subtle boost off the defender midair" magic going on here, but that doesn't change how absurd this follow dunk from Andre Jackson Jr. looked.
By the time Jackson got a hold of that ball, his midsection was at the rim. We hear this from time to time, but this was an example of someone literally dunking on the way down.
2. Aaron Gordon Follow
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In one of the highest-profile matchups of the season between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets, in the fourth quarter and the game still very much in the balance, Aaron Gordon electrified Ball Arena with a putback for the ages.
DeAndre Jordan's reaction was warranted. AG caught that ball two or three feet off the rim and somehow managed to control it and ferociously hammer it down before landing.
And the play pretty much sealed a win for the Nuggets over the best team in the league.
1. Anthony Edwards on John Collins
10 of 10
I mean, this play is just absurd.
Quibble over his hand not quite touching the rim if you want. The lift off the ground, extension of his right arm and ferocity of the throwdown here makes for one of the greatest displays of athleticism we've ever seen in the NBA.
And it feels fitting that this came from Ant. He is, almost certainly, the most prolific highlight factory in the league right now.
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