NBA Dunk Contest: Blake Griffin's Kia Car and the 10 Best Props of All Time
Before cars and cupcakes, the Dunk Contest used to simply be between the dunker and the basket. As time went by, the evolution of the Dunk Contest shifted to the short but new era of props and creativity originally from dunks involving one's hand over their eyes.
Whatever the contestants may do to gain the advantage, whether it be jumping over a car or simply jumping over a chair, props have no doubt become a key part of the Dunk Contest and why not take a look back at the best props used in the Dunk Contest?
Well in this slideshow I will be listing the 10 best props ever used in the Dunk Contest starting from the bottom. As always, I hope you enjoy and please feel free to weigh in on the article after the read!
10. Chair
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Dating back to the 1986 Dunk Contest in which Gerald Wilkins first used the chair as a prop, the chair has always been a safe option when wanting to use a prop.
Nowadays it is too simple to have the chair by itself, hence the players insert people in them, but if you look back at the historical significance of something as simple as jumping over a chair, it is amazing to reflect on how far the Dunk Contest has come.
9. Gerald Green's Table
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In 2007, Gerald Green defeated Nate Robinson with a dunk over a table. This was the first appearance of a table in the Dunk Contest and it really was a good prop considering it gave Gerald Green the Dunk Contest.
If you think about it, the table one-ups the chair and this really marked another stage in the use of props. I wonder what's next?
8. Gerald Green's Ladder
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You know when someone's creative when they have made the all-time best use of props list, not once, but twice. In the 2008 Dunk Contest, Gerald Green used one of his teammates and a ladder as props. The way he used them was by jumping in the air and his teammate handed him the ball in mid-air to complete a high-powered dunk.
Seems quite simple, but the simplicity and creativity to use a ladder to both measure how high he could jump and use timing with the handing of the ball in mid-air, just added to the greatness of the prop.
7. Nate Robinson Steps to Success
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Just over two years ago, former Knicks player Nate Robinson landed one of the most unique dunks in Dunk Contest history in the 2009 NBA Dunk Contest.
He used his teammate, Wilson Chandler as his prop, stepping up and over him to slam in an NBA Dunk Contest "gamer."
6. JaVale McGee's Double Attack
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Ever heard of dunking two balls at once, or actually dunking two balls in two different hoops? Impossible, considering JaVale McGee made Dunk Contest history by being the first to successfully use two hoops while performing a dunk.
The use of two hoops was one of the most creative dunks in history and though McGee didn't run away with the trophy, kudos for his imagination.
5. Pick on Somebody Your Own Size
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At the No.5 spot, this may be a little underrated, but you obviously get the point. Nate Robinson's dunk over dunk legend Spud Webb was not only a YouTube sensation, but it was also one of the most iconic dunks in NBA history.
The message of dunking over someone that is literally your size is both clever and original. Props to Robinson for pulling this dunk off, no pun intended.
4. Sticker in the Heavens
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In the 2007 NBA Dunk Contest, Dwight Howard showed everyone really high how high he can jump, even at the height of seven feet.
Howard hid a sticker in his hands before the dunk and when he went up for the dunk, he stuck the sticker at the highest point of the dunk with his off-hand. His teammates brought out the measuring tape and the height came out to, 12'6". Crazy, right?
3. I Believe I Can Fly
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No one can set the mood better than R. Kelly and with the choir singing his infamous, "I Believe I can Fly," everyone's eyes was not on Kenny Smith, but young phenomenon, Blake Griffin.
In this year's Dunk Contest, Griffin set the bar for years to come, dunking over a Kia Car, with the help of Baron Davis throwing a questionable lob pass, but who cares, the dunk went in. With all the creative props that we have seen, this is among the best.
Another positive that came out of this is the fact that Kia has another excuse to make a dramatic commercial, advertising how amazing their car is, oh, and how great Griffin's dunk was.
2. Happy Birthday
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We all love blowing out the candles on our birthdays and making our wishes, and so does Gerald Green. In the 2008 NBA Dunk Contest, Green had the ingenious idea of blowing out his own birthday candle off a candle placed in a cupcake, on top of the rim
The dunk was a success and though Wallace didn't win the contest that year, I'm sure all of his birthday wishes came true.
1. Superman Vs. Krptonate
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5'9'' Nate Robinson, a.k.a. "Krptonate" defeated the Superman, Dwight Howard in the 2009 NBA Dunk Contest, by jumping over Howard and flushing in a ferocious jam.
The dunk wasn't the point of the set-up, the fact that Robinson, who called himself, "Kryptonate," dunked over Superman himself, and won the dunk contest by a mere 4 percent.
Superman has only one weakness and that is Kryptonite or as we call it in the NBA Dunk Contest, "Kryptonate."
