Re-Grading the Greatest All-Star Dunk Contest Slams of All Time
The 2015 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest is going old-school, adopting the back-to-basics, gimmick-free format that allows the dunkers in the field to do what they do best.
However Saturday night's contest shakes out at the Barclays Center, eliminating conference-based teams and avoiding the mistake of trying to jazz things up with unlimited attempts—or, God forbid, a randomized wheel—is a good call by the NBA.
The best jams in NBA history came from basic formats, and NBA.com has put together an official video chronicling the top 10 slams in contest history. Based on that list, we'll perform some revisionist history, rescoring each of the entries using the same 50-point scale—only we'll act as if each dunk were taking place in the present.
The key is resisting the temptation to credit a dunk for what it meant at the time. There are no points for being innovative or pioneering here. Instead, we're scoring on aesthetics, difficulty and the general standards of today.
Nobody's taking anything away from the aerial artists of yesteryear. Any celebration of today's dunks implicitly honors the forefathers of the throwdown. Just to keep things civil, we won't go lower than 40 on any dunk. The all-timers have earned that much.
Still, as we'll see, some slams hold up better than others.
Dr. J From the Foul Line, 1976
Original Score: ??
Updated Score: 40
The free-throw-line dunk has been done to death, but it was a big deal in 1976 when Julius Erving broke it out at the very first ABA dunk contest. It was a historic moment, and one that best illustrates how historical achievement isn't a factor here.
Frankly, this one loses major points because it appears easy. Erving is long and rangy, which always detracts from dunking aesthetics. He hardly looks like he's off the ground at all. Plus, there are no flourishes or embellishments to set this dunk apart.
If there's such a thing as a vanilla dunk from the foul line, this is it.
George Gervin, who was in attendance, simultaneously highlighted the contextual value and relative inferiority of Dr. J's jam, per Eric Neel of ESPN.com:
"We've seen better dunks since then. We've seen Michael be Michael and we've since seen Vince be Vince, and it will keep going, too, but David [Thompson] and Doc got something started that night with the 360 and the Free Throw; they showed us some amazing sights people had never seen before and they laid a foundation for everything we see now.
"
No points awarded for blazing a trail. This is the weakest entry in the field.
Spud Webb's Reverse, 1986
Original Score: 50
Updated Score: 50
If 51 were an option, it would be in play here.
Spud Webb thumbed his nose at gravity in the 1986 contest, and his exploits still look like they're CGI-aided. Something just seems off (in the best possible way) when a guy that small (generously listed at 5'7") is that high off the ground.
The appeal of this dunk, which could have been replaced by a handful of others from that same contest, has nothing to do with history. It's all about how physically impossible it looks.
Spud's exploits only get better with age.
Dominique Wilkins' Double-Clutch Reverse, 1986
Original Score: 47
Updated Score: 45
There's nothing wrong with Dominique Wilkins' two-handed reverse, which wasn't good enough to overcome his Hawks teammate, Webb, in '86.
Long considered among the game's greatest power dunkers, 'Nique flushed this one with purpose, bringing the ball down below his knees before uncoiling to cram it in backward. This is nice.
But it's not spectacular. I'm pretty sure Gerald Green has done this in his sleep three or four times.
Michael Jordan's Double-Pump from the Foul Line, 1987
Original Score: 49
Updated Score: 49
The dunk Michael Jordan used to beat Jerome Kersey in 1988 is everything Dr. J's wasn't.
MJ took off about as far back as any foul-line dunker ever has, with the middle of his foot on the line. In many other cases, Erving's included, we see the entire foot over the line, or even further. Plus, there's the double-clutch, which provides the right kind of "this is too easy" bonus that Dr. J's jam lacked. Also cool: The left hand trailing the play, palm up, practically begging for low-five style points.
This is about as pretty as the oft-utilized (Jordan broke it out in virtually every dunk contest he was in) foul-line dunk can look. It has aged very nicely.
Dominique Wilkins' Windmill, 1988
Original Score: 49
Updated Score: 41
Meh.
There are probably a dozen dunkers in today's NBA who could have pulled this one off just as well as Wilkins did. There's nothing special about it, and the high original score owes partially to the supercharged atmosphere in 1988.
That year, Wilkins and Jordan went head to head, with a final round featuring 50-point scores on four of their combined six dunks. Everybody was fired up—including the judges. Measured against all of the dunks we've seen since, Wilkins' windmill looks a little stale.
Jason Richardson did the same dunk, only better, in 2002.
Andre Iguodala's Backward Baseline, 2006
Original Score: 50
Updated Score: 47
In terms of novelty, this one's up there. Andre Iguodala gets credit for executing a very difficult dunk from an awkward angle. In fact, he actually grazed his head on the backboard in his first unsuccessful attempt to convert it.
A knockdown from its original 50 isn't a slight on the dunk at all. It's great.
But if we view it alongside some of the other all-timers, can we really say it's perfect?
Not quite.
Vince Carter's 360 Windmill, 2000
Original Score: 50
Updated Score: 50
This is what perfection looks like.
Take the crowd, electrified with anticipation, out of the picture. Eliminate the pre-contest buzz that had whipped fans into a frenzy before Vince Carter even touched the ball in the first round. Cut every extraneous factor, every piece of contextual relevance and every seared-in memory of where you were when Vinsanity resurrected the dunk contest.
What are you left with?
A reverse 360 windmill executed with precision, speed and power. A jam as angry as it was smooth. As violent as it was artful. A dunk that has been duplicated many times since, but never once equaled.
As Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated wrote:
"That Carter never competed again only adds to its myth: He pitched a perfect game in his only career start. He also revealed just how lacking the charisma factor had been in previous dunk contests. His regal confidence and smooth flight recalled Jordan, at least in this controlled setting, and he served as a reminder to future dunkers that how they carry themselves plays a part in how well their offerings are received.
"
Carter, in his prime, oozing athleticism and showmanship, was the best we've ever seen.
Jason Richardson's Off Glass, Through the Legs, 2004
Original Score: 50
Updated Score: 48
Richardson is the evolutionary Wilkins—a two-foot jumper who finished every dunk hard.
What made him a better contest dunker than 'Nique (yeah, I said it) was his shorter stature (6'5") and wider variety of jams. This wasn't J-Rich's best career contest dunk. This one was better. So was this. Still, it was pretty darn good.
As has been the case for a couple of other entries here, our revision merely reflects the fact that it falls a little short of perfect.
Michael Jordan's Leaner, 1987
Original Score: 48
Updated Score: 49
The weird thing about this dunk, which was Jordan's second-to-last in his 1987 win, is that he did nearly the same thing on his final spike. And despite failing to equal the height, in-air majesty and horizontal lean of this throwdown, he managed to get a 50.
This dunk earned a 48, which is hard to complain about. But if you slow it down and really pick apart its various merits, it feels deserving of an upgrade.
There's just so much floaty goodness here: the initial spring, the lean, the illusion of continuing to rise even after the midpoint of the leap.
This one holds up beautifully.
Vince Carter's Through Legs, Off Bounce, 2000
Original Score: 50
Updated Score: 45
Carter doesn't get to keep this 50. Unlike the 360 windmill, this one doesn't stand the test of time. It earned a perfect score back in 2000 partly because it came after Carter had already turned in a pair of take-your-breath-away dunks.
He would have had to lay the ball up to not stun the crowd and judges at that point.
Plus, it's hard to get past the feeling that a good portion of this dunk's score and reputation comes from VC's iconic point to the heavens after he completed it. Theatrics are a key part of every dunk contest, and we need to look past them (and the palpable excitement surrounding Carter's legendary performance) when judging.
Notable Omissions
The 10 dunks above made the NBA's top-10 list, but others didn't earn the appreciation they deserved.
Here are a couple of overlooked greats that warrant higher scores than they received at the time.
J.R. Smith Goes Behind the Back, 2005
Original Score: 45
Updated Score: 48
The degree of difficulty is exceptionally high on this dunk, and judging by the original score, that fact was lost on the judges.
To be fair, Smith needed three tries to complete the act, and that hurt him. A dunk always looks more impressive when it goes down on the first attempt. Still, going around the back from left to right and then finishing with force is a tough move to pull off.
Also worth noting: Iguodala succeeded on a similar slam in 2006 but did it off the bounce.
A decade later, Smith gets his due.
Gerald Green's Birthday Cake, 2008
Original Score: 46
Updated Score: 49
It's time to re-evaluate a few things if this dunk doesn't make you instantly happier.
The overall score suffered in part because it was difficult to figure out what Green had done in real time. The benefit of replay, of course, gives us the perfect slow-motion image of Green rising into the picture, eyes on cupcake, and blowing out the candle while throwing down a two-hander.
Don't overthink this one. Just enjoy it and agree it's worth more than a 46.
Also, don't forget Green converted a between-the-legs slam in his socks in that same 2008 contest.
Our Revisionist History's New Best Dunk Ever
If we split the difference and gave Webb and Carter half-shares of the title for their updated 50-point scores, it would be the easy way out.
If forced to choose, we've got to give the nod to Carter, whose 360 windmill has only gotten more impressive with age. Webb's dunks continue to look incredible, but Carter's signature jam elevates the art form.
Carter and Co. have set the bar, and the participants in the 2015 contest have their work cut out for them.
