Ranking Every Dunk from the 2025 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest
By Adrian Spinelli
SAN FRANCISCO – The marquee event of 2025 NBA's All-Star Saturday Night was, once again, the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.
This year's contestants were: Reigning two-time champion Mac McClung of the Orlando Magic's G League squad, the Osceola Magic; San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, fresh off his MVP Award in the Castrol Rising Stars Challenge; Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis; Milwaukee Bucks second-year man Andre Jackson Jr.
Each high-flyer did his best, but this was a two-man race from the start. And in the end, the night belonged to McClung, once again, who took home his third straight crown and cemented his role as the most decorated dunker of all time.
Ranking Criteria
In ranking these dunks, our criteria considered: Creativity, Difficulty, Force, "Wow” factor, Number of attempts.
All 12 dunks are ranked below, and we've listed the composite score given by judges: Baron Davis, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Jason Richardson, Jesser.
While McClung's final dunk brought the house down, you might be surprised to find out which of his perfect 50s was our top dunk of the contest.
1 of 12
No. 12: Buzelis Misses All of His Attempts
Well, this was awkward.
Buzelis told B/R earlier in the day that he doesn't model himself after any dunkers from the past. "I just use my own creative mind to create dunks and have fun."
Buzelis might've fallen victim to his overly complex creativity, missing all three official attempts at a tricky bounce from behind the basket into a between-the-legs catch for a reverse windmill.
Ultimately, this felt like too difficult of an attempt for your first-ever dunk contest showing, and it was not the best way to splash into the dunk scene for the high flyer.
Judge Score: 40.0
2 of 12
No. 11: Jackson Jr.'s (Eventual) Easy Put-In
Andre Jackson Jr.’s first attempt began a bit differently than it ended.
After four first attempts (only two were official; dunkers are allowed three) on a dunk that started with a run-up from the three-point line and then morphed into a long bounce pass for a power slam, Jackson settled for a much simpler execution.
With teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo cheering him on from the sidelines, Jackson Jr. landed a not-fully-extended, around-the-world, two-handed jam.
Baron Davis curiously gave it a 46, but that still didn't sway us from ranking this as the second worst entry of the contest.
Judge Score: 43.8
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No. 10: Jackson Jr. 's One-Hand Cupped Wind-up Windmill
Jackson Jr. got Giannis up out of his seat for this one, but it was still only a 45-point dunk.
After two failed attempts (one official) of a dunk that began with a pass off the side of the backboard—and then a false start—the hype was already dying for the guard's final dunk of the night.
He ended with a windup windmill and a one-hand-cupped throwdown that didn't feel very creative.
Overall, it was a less than inspiring performance from Jackson Jr on the night.
Judge Score: 45.0
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No. 9: Buzelis' Easy Reverse
Give Buzelis credit; he made up for the blunder of an 0-fer on his first turn and made his second dunk on the first attempt.
With an assisted pass off the backboard, Buzelis caught the ball in the air and settled for a two-handed reverse dunk with a little more difficulty based on the distance he flew to get to the other side of the rim.
The trouble is, there was no power on the throwdown, and a judge's score of 47.4 felt beyond inflated.
Judge Score: 47.4
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No. 8: Castle's First Dunk of the Night
That this dunk got a lower score than the final Buzelis dunk is a travesty.
On his first attempt, Stephon Castle threw down a classic 270 dunk with a powerful extension into a tomahawk slam. This was a worthy statement to get on the board; a nice starter dunk for the night, which showed that Castle understood the strategy behind getting into the finals of the Dunk Contest.
"Power is a big part of the dunks that I have for tonight," Castle told us before the competition,. and this was the shape of things to come for him.
Judge Score: 47.2
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No. 7: Castle Uses The Backboard
Clearly a gamesman, Castle kept it on the safer side for his second dunk, knowing that after Buzelis and Jackson Jr.'s low scores, he didn't need much to make it into the final round.
Castle ran behind a backboard passer, caught the ball overhead for a 180 spin into a reverse. And the best part about this dunk was how Castle kept his eyes on the rim even when he was spinning.
"You want to make the dunk look easy…That was like a Luther Vandross or Sade song," Kenny Smith said on the TNT broadcast.
Nailed it.
Judge Score 47.8
7 of 12
No. 6: Castle's Cup Jam
On his last dunk of the night, Stephon Castle made an incredibly tough dunk look effortless.
This was a throwback with no help—just pure flair when he went behind the back. He switched hands, let the ball seemingly glide up his arm toward his palm, all before cupping the ball for the jam.
All of this was on his first attempt, and it was after a questionable score on his previous dunk.
He immediately signaled for the well-deserved 50 that he got.
Judge Score: 50
8 of 12
No. 5: Mac's Catch-and-Reverse That Got Ja Thinking
On his second dunk of the night Mac McClung got Ja Morant feeling some type of way.
"Mac might make me decide to dunk," the Grizzlies said on X, before a flurry of replies from other stars ensued.
On his second dunk of the night, McClung flew over a friend's head with easy clearance, split his legs open in the air and finished with a near 180 spin for a smooth monster jam.
By this attempt, it was clear that McClung was on another level—G League status be damned. But it was somehow only his fourth-best dunk of the night.
Judge Score: 50
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No. 4: McClung's Dunk Over Evan Mobley
On his final performance of the night, McClung got a running start, grabbed a ball Mobley held behind his head and skied so high he was nearly a foot over the rim when he slammed it home.
As he landed, the dunker immediately signaled for a slo-mo replay, which revealed that he tapped the front of the rim with the ball, then raised it for the dunk.
Once it dawned on everyone what had just happened, it was clear that Mac McClung was playing 3-D slam dunk chess.
Judge Score: 50
10 of 12
No. 3: Castle's 49.6*
This dunk deserved a 50.
But T-Mac and Jesser added to the suspense of McClung's eventual win by handing Castle a 49.6 on this beauty.
For starters, Castle's prop man had to make a perfect swish for Castle to catch the ball with both hands—low after it went through the basket—then bring it through his legs and go left hand to right for the hammer.
It was an insanely creative dunk.
Along with power, Castle told us it was important to "add some flashiness for a dunk contest."
Judge Score: 49.6
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No. 2: Mac's Funky Dunk Has Levels
For his first dunk in the final round, Mac McClung pulled out a lot of stops. A ladder, a hoverboard, and not one, but TWO basketballs.
With an Aaron Gordon jersey-clad assistant holding a ball over his head while spinning on a hoverboard, another was atop a ladder, holding a ball near the rim.
McClung took off and grabbed one ball with each hand, hurdled the dude on the hoverboard and threw down both basketballs like it was nothing.
Castle and Buzelis were beside themselves on the sideline, and this was arguably the most creative dunk of the night—one that had so many elements to it.
It was also the second time that Mac nearly killed himself on a failed first attempt. About that first time...
Judge Score: 50
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No. 1: McClung Writes an Ode to Blake Griffin
When a graphite grey Kia with black alloy rims and a body kit slowly made its way onto the court before Mac McClung's first dunk of the contest, shades of Blake Griffin's epic 2011 Slam Dunk Contest entry leaping over a Kia was on everyone's minds.
The in-arena announcer said, in a state of disbelief, "He is not gonna do this. No!"
McClung’s assistant poked through the moonroof holding a ball above the car, which was clogging the paint. In a flash, Mac took off over the tallest part of the car—as opposed to Griffin's leap over the hood—and nearly toppled to the ground on his first attempt.
Eyes were wide, and he took off again, grabbing the ball from the moonroof helper, legs spread wide, feet kicked out and obliterated a reverse dunk.
McClung didn't quite stick the landing as he fell over gracefully for safety, but he did do a push-up to bring himself back up, and the Chase Center crowd went nuts.
How was this only his first dunk of the contest?
An easy 50-point dunk, this dunk of the night put down the blueprint for McClung's three-peat.
To think, he now has almost as many Slam Dunk contest wins (three) as games played in the NBA (five) is wild. But Mac McClung is the most prolific entrant into the NBA's Slam Dunk contest.
"Stuff like this doesn't happen without standing on the shoulders of a lot of people," McClung told TNT's Allie LaForce after being named the winner.
Except, as far as we're concerned, he's not standing on people's shoulders. He's leaping well above them toward the hoop.
Judge Score: 50
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