NBA 2011: The 10 Best High-Flying Gravity-Defying Dunk Maestros in the League
Many basketball fans believe the slam dunk to be a relatively recent phenomenon, one brought to prominence by 70s ABA stars like Dr. J and perfected by 90s NBA stars like Michael Jordan.
In actuality, it is an ancient art.
Recently unearthed ancient scrolls from the Holy Mountain region of China’s Henan province depict some seriously old-school balling.
These texts, which art historians date to approximately 550 A.D, clearly show Tao Mo, the godfather of Wushu (Chinese martial arts) teaching monks of the Shaolin Temple not only Kung Fu but also the craft of the dunk.
The scrolls, which are being referred to as The Shaolin Highlight Reel, show Tao Mo in 18 different slam dunk poses. They are thought to correspond directly to the 18 Hand Movements of the Enlightened One, the techniques of Shaolin Kung Fu. The text also refers to something called “Art of the Dunk.”
In 2011, a number of powerful Shaolin monks continue to practice the Art of the Dunk in the NBA. Using their tremendous powers of concentration, these players channel the spirit of Tao Mo while bringing the pain to the opposition.
10. Russell Westbrook
1 of 10Westbrook is a former UCLA man plying his trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s an unlikely candidate for this list—the guy is a 6'3" point guard.
But he flies like an eagle and is just as likely to go straight for the basket and over defenders as he is to orchestrate a play that leads to an open jump shot.
9. Josh Smith
2 of 10Josh Smith is what Atlanta fans have been waiting for since Dominique Wilkins—the man himself—departed for the Clippers in 1994. Smith even went so far as to wear a Wilkins throwback jersey during the 2005 dunk contest.
Like ‘Nique, Smith has tremendous air, grace and power. His extension on one-handed dunks makes him nearly impossible to block and his team play makes him a more substantial threat than a mere dunk specialist.
Smith puts his ups to work on defense as well. He's a consummate shot blocker.
8. Lebron James
3 of 10Ah, Lebron. Well, he’s no Kobe.
But seriously, this Miami Heat man has dunk skills to spare. He is truly the progeny of Tao Mo and his Shaolin Temple Art of the Dunk brethren.
Though James doesn’t show much diversity in his dunks—it’s pretty much the one-handed tomahawk every time—he has unique flair and charisma that make him lots of fun to watch.
7. Kobe Bryant
4 of 10Kobe is an all-around player now that he’s in his 30s, and has assumed the mantle of the new Jordan.
Love or hate the Purp' 'n Yellow, there’s no denying the fact that they resemble the late 90s Bulls more than a little bit: Kobe is Jordan, Fisher is Pippen, Gasol is Longley, Artest is Rodman…hell, they even have the same coach.
All that nonsense aside, back in the day when Kobe was a teenager with an afro, man could he fly.
Though Kobe plays a more subtle and well-rounded game in 2011, he can still wow audiences when he feels like it.
6. Andre Iguolada
5 of 10Andre Iguolada commonly makes the top five in Top NBA Dunkers lists, which is mind blowing when you consider that the guy is a shooting guard.
Iguodala is a player who loves to dunk, and loves to make it look "fly" when he does. He's got great showmanship.
Watch any Iguodala highlight reel and it's guaranteed there’ll be plays where he topples half the members of the defense, hanging from the rim looking down at them.
“Yo. My bad.”
5. Dwight Howard
6 of 10There’s not much that can be said about Orlando’s wunderkind that hasn’t been said already.
They guy takes freakin’ alley-oops on inbound passes at the buzzer. He wears a Superman outfit and dunks on 12-foot baskets. Howard has the power of Shaq and the grace of a lean forward like Scottie Pippen.
He has ups like you wouldn’t believe.
Unless a defender is over seven feet or has freakishly long arms, there’s pretty much no way to stop him. Howard throws down show-stopping dunks in midweek games like he’s playing against amateurs, not the top players in the world.
In fact, the only reason he’s not higher on this list is that, well, it’s almost unfair. Everyone else in the NBA has to actually work for their dunks.
Howard, on the other hand, may well be Tao Mo reincarnated.
4. Nate Robinson
7 of 10Not everyone will agree with Mr. Robinson’s position on this list, but consider this: we’re counting down high flyers, and if anyone in the NBA in 2011 meets that requirement, it’s this 5’9” Boston Celtic.
To reiterate: 5’9”.
In the 2009 dunk contest, Robinson jumped OVER Dwight Howard, who is 6’11”. He’s an average man in a field of giants, and his will to dominate allows him to compete as a peer with titans more than a foot taller.
Rumor has it Robinson gained his incredible ups as a child. He would lock himself away in his bedroom after school and on weekends, studying the secret scriptures of Tao Mo that he found floating in Seattle's Puget Sound as a boy.
Experts believe that the spirits of the Shaolin patriarchs recognized Robinson’s talent when he was born and ordained him a Master of the Art of the Dunk.
3. Rudy Gay
8 of 10This Memphis Grizzlies forward has more in common with Waka Flocka Flame than the year of his birth (both came into this world in 1986). Like Gucci Mane’s protégé, Gay goes hard in the mutha…well, in the paint.
Gay has mad ups, and also the most important character trait for any high-flying master of the Shaolin Art of the Dunk: he’d rather take the ball to the hole, regardless of who or what is standing in his way, than waste his time with jump shots or pick and rolls.
Ball on the base line? Rudy goes straight to the basket. Open jay from the top of the key? Screw it, Rudy goes straight to the basket. Got the ball with the shot clock running down and the lane choked with players on the other team? Ah, what the hell, Rudy goes straight to the basket.
Shaolin style.
2. Blake Griffin
9 of 10Blake Griffin is the man.
This LA Clipper has brought his team, previously the laughing stock not only of southern California but the NBA at large, an immeasurable amount of respect in his two short years as a pro.
Griffin has a ridiculous vertical, the size of a power forward and the speed and grace of a guard. He spins around opponents like a top and finds the net time and time again in improbable situations.
What makes Griffin so stupendous is his mixture of gusto and nonchalance. He is afraid of no man, and will take the ball to the basket regardless of who stands in his way. He never hesitates to move around or jump over an opponent. It’s as though he knows—not just thinks, but knows—that every time he leaves his feet, he will find the net.
Yet Griffin never makes a show, even after his most absurd accomplishments. He looks around like a deer in the headlights, as though he’s thinking “Did I really just do that?”
He is clearly a man possessed by the spirit of Tao Mo.
1. Vince Carter
10 of 10If Dr. J is the Tao Mo of the NBA, and Michael Jordan is Bruce Lee, Vince Carter is Jackie Chan. Over the course of his illustrious career, this Dunk Master has taken the Art of the Dunk to new heights, both figuratively and literally.
Carter flies higher, further, and more stupendously than any other dunker in the NBA in 2011. His career highlights are jaw-dropping, a near endless reel of this midsized guard flying over players substantially larger and wider than himself.
Look no further than the 2000 Summer Olympic games for proof of Carter’s consummate skill. In that competition, he flew over—literally, like "head-between-the-legs over—7’2” Frenchman Frédéric Weis.
Carter isn't just the numero uno dunk maestro in the NBA right now.
He's one of the best of all time.
