50 Sickest NBA Poster Dunks of All Time

I've ranked just about every thing I could possibly conceive over this lengthy lockout period.

From all the starting point guards to the best post players in each team's history until realizing that I had missed out on the entertainment factor of the game. Rather than focusing on the game's top individuals and their career accolades, why not take a look at various players and their most entertaining contributions to the game.

I'm talking about the poster dunk of course. One of the most emphatic baskets you can have during a game, it basically involves one player throwing down a dunk on one, or possibly more, players that attempt to block the dunk. It might only be worth two points, but they could be momentum changers as it inspires the team and the crowd of the team that had the player on the right end of the poster dunk if it's in their building.

Today we pay homage to those types of dunks. We pay homage to those who dunked the ball and mostly to the players on the receiving end of the dunk, because without them we wouldn't have the poster dunk to begin with.

Here are the 50 top dunks in league history. Get ready for plenty of Vince Carter, Shawn Bradley and Kevin Harlan.

50. Kobe Bryant on Emeka Okafor

One of the most recent dunks on this list, Kobe Bryant had no problem in letting the NBA world and Emeka Okafor know that he's still one of the league's best high-flyers even with a bad ankle and a few bum fingers.

This won't be the last time we encounter Bryant putting some poor soul on a poster.

49. Dwyane Wade on Jermaine O'Neal

The poster dunk involving Dwyane Wade and Jermaine O'Neal is pretty standard according to the poster dunk standards-and-regulations manual, but you have to look into the context of this specific dunk to get the true meaning of it.

This was in 2004 when the Indiana Pacers had just finished 61-21 and Jermaine O'Neal was arguably the league's top defender. The Miami Heat were a 42-40 team with rookie Dwyane Wade doing all he possibly could to topple the Eastern Conference powerhouse.

The Heat would lose in six games, but Wade's dunk on O'Neal was a significant moment in his career as he showed that he was fearless and was capable of taking on any one.

48. Gerald Wallace Throws It Down over Bostjan Nachbar

An extremely underrated dunk in my personal opinion, a young Gerald Wallace takes off of one foot and dunks on the top of Bostjan Nachbar as if he wasn't even there.

47. Dwight Howard Powers One Through on Omer Asik

As one of the league's most athletic players, Dwight Howard had to make sure Omer Asik and the Chicago Bulls recognized this.

Point made.

46. Chris Webber over Shawn Bradley

This won't be the last time you find Shawn "The human punching bag" Bradley on this list.

On this particular poster, athletic power forward Chris Webber takes Bradley off the dribble and throws one down over the 7'6" center and an unnamed New Jersey Net teammate.

45. LeBron James with No Regard for Human Life over Kevin Garnett

A momentum changer during the Cleveland Cavaliers 2008 postseason series against the Boston Celtics, LeBron James abused the Celtics defense with one of his top poster dunks.

He faked out James Posey off of the pick and roll and then threw a powerful slam over the top of renowned defender Kevin Garnett to give the Cavaliers momentum and the eventual win to tie the series at two games apiece.

Unfortunately for James and the Cavs, they would lose in six games.

44. Andre Iguodala Absorbs the Push and Throws Down over Gerald Wallace

Andre Iguodala is one of the game's most athletic players next to LeBron James, Gerald Wallace and Josh Smith.

He shows great concentration on this poster of Wallace as he throws down the dunk even while being pushed away from the room at the apex.

43. Vince Carter Spins and Wins over Vlade Divac

Trust me, this is not the last time we will see Vince Carter on the positive end of the sickest poster dunks ever conceived.

This isn't one of his best posters, since Vlade Divac hardly even makes an attempt to block Carter, but the spin move and the ability to get that much elevation off of barely any momentum constitutes as one of Vinsanity's best poster dunks.

42. Rudy Gay Slams Luis Scola to the Floor

Another unbelievable athlete, Rudy Gay is one of the league's top high-flyers and is also set to begin leading the upstart Memphis Grizzlies as perennial playoff contenders.

His posterization of Luis Scola and Dikembe Mutombo is by far his greatest highlight as he throws down a huge slam on both players as well as sending the Argentinian to the floor as a result of the power that Gay bestowed upon him.

41. Stromile Swift Gives Tyrus Thomas a Headache

Just listen to the sound the rim makes when Stromile Swift throws it down.

It's a violent and harsh noise as the super athlete nearly pulls down the entire backboard on top of Tyrus Thomas' head.

40. Michael Jordan Dunks on Kelly Tripucka's Life

It's Michael Jordan doing what he does best: embarrassing the common folk who weren't blessed with the skill set that he possessed.

The common folk basically applied to everyone not named Michael Jordan.

You know you've hit it big when the only research done on you is to find out who was on the receiving end of one of the game's ugliest poster dunks.

39. Amare Stoudemire Flies One in over Richard Jefferson

One of the most athletic players in the game for a player of his size, Amare Stoudemire is notorious for his thunderous slams and the posters that he puts unsuspecting defenders on.

Richard Jefferson is the victim of this poster as Stoudemire takes a perfect entry pass from Steve Nash and slams it right over the the San Antonio Spurs small forward.

38. LeBron James Annihilates James Johnson

Surprisingly, LeBron James isn't too notorious for his poster dunks. He's a much better dunker in the open court and specializes in throw downs that are purely about finesse and raw athleticism.

When he does put defenders on a poster however, it can get ugly. There aren't too many players who know better than James Johnson, who for some reason attempted to block James after allowing him to get an open lane and just enough room for him to lift off.

Take a walk next time, James.

37. Amare Stoudemire Takes You to the Kandi-Shop

It's a sad moment when you're a former No. 1 pick and your No. 1 highlight comes as a result of one of the worst posters in league history.

That's exactly what happened in the case of bust Michael Olowokandi who received an embarrassing poster from rookie Amare Stoudemire.

36. Corey Brewer Throws It Down over Derek Fisher

I haven't heard the Staples Center that quiet since the end of Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals.

I'd be silent too if my beloved point guard was on the receiving end of one of the most unbelievable posters of all time. Corey Brewer took off from well behind the restricted area and flew one in on the much shorter Derek Fisher who just looked stunned once he regained consciousness.

35. Kobe Bryant Does Not Care for Your MVP Award, Steve Nash

Thank goodness for Luke Walton and his ability to miss wide-open mid-range jumpers or else we would have never witnessed one of Kobe Bryant's greatest poster dunks.

This is pretty much a statement from Bryant to Steve Nash exclaiming that he was the true MVP.

34. Derrick Rose Dunks All over Goran Dragic

It was nice to see Goran Dragic put in an effort to deter Derrick Rose from an easy two points, but sometimes you just have to stay out of the picture.

Dragic pushed Rose with his body in mid-air and the Bulls point guard still managed to use his strength to throw it down over the Slovenian.

33. Michael Jordan Rises over Sam Perkins

It's difficult to realize just how quality Michael Jordan's poster dunks really are since he makes them all look too easy.

Jordan threw down this poster over 6'9" Sam Perkins as it appears that he actually rises up higher even though it seems that he has reached as high as he could go.

As I said before, he makes it look too easy.

32. LeBron James Kills Damon Jones

This wasn't fair.

I have no idea what Damon Jones was thinking when going up and attempting to block an athletic freak like LeBron James, but I probably do know what he was thinking after, and I'm afraid I can't say that on this website.

31. J.R. Smith Flies over Gary Neal

I'll just let Kevin Harlan do the talking for this one.

30. Michael Jordan Climbs Mt. Mutombo

When you wag your finger at every single player you block, you know you're going to find someone who wants to do it right back at you.

What better player to do that than Michael Jordan? If I was Dikembe Mutombo, I'd be honored if anything that Jordan actually recognizes me and my trademark move.

29. Ricky Davis Puts Steve Nash on One of Many Posters

Ricky Davis wasn't known for much outside of being a selfish offensive player and failing miserably at a between-the-legs dunk during an actual NBA regulation game.

He is a terrific athlete however, and nobody knows that better than Steve Nash, who was on the opposite end of Davis' nastiest poster.

28. Reggie Miller Posterizes the Entire Nets Roster

Usually Reggie Miller does the majority of his work on offense from behind the three-point line.

On this occasion however, Miller decided a dunk on four different Nets players would be just as effective.

27. Shaquille O'Neal Dunks over the Admiral

Poster dunks aren't too commonplace during All-Star games since it's mostly used as an exhibition for dunks that you wouldn't usually see during a regulation game.

David Robinson wanted to be one of the few players to deter a player from getting a dunk. It is Robinson's defensive nature to block shots, but he probably should have just let Shaquille O'Neal get his power dunk and end it with that.

26. Dwyane Wade Cabbage Patches All over Kendrick Perkins

It annoys me to hear how Dwyane Wade suddenly became this evil player who celebrates his poster dunks.

The cabbage patch following the monster posterization of Kendrick Perkins was an homage to teammate Juwan Howard and the Fab Five.

But come on, wouldn't you dance after spinning through two defenders and then throwing down a dunk on one of the league's most feared defensive centers?

25. Kobe Bryant Makes Vincent Yarbrough a Household Name

It took a fair amount of research to find out who exactly that unknown Denver Nugget was who was schooled by Kobe Bryant.

It turns out that his name is Vincent Yarbrough and that game was one of only 59 that he played in for his entire NBA career. He was out of the league by the time he was 22 years old and is now playing for Telekom Baskets Bonn, a successful German club.

I'd move thousands of miles away from America too, after suffering that kind of embarrassment.

24. Amare Stoudemire Dunks All over Anthony Tolliver

You get easy dunks like these as a result of two teams that play nothing but fast-break basketball and don't really care about playing defense.

Anthony Tolliver made the unwise decision to play defense and he paid for it by receiving a poster dunk at the hands of Amare Stoudemire.

23. Blake Griffin Just Destroys Danilo Gallinari

Rookies aren't supposed to do this. In fact, I don't think anyone should be capable of pulling off a feat like this.

Blake Griffin barely had any real estate to gain momentum off of, and he still managed to spin and pull off one of the league's top poster dunks last season with his slam over Danilo Gallinari.

22. Vince Carter Puts Dikembe Mutombo on His Worst Poster

Much like how it appeared that Jordan gained momentum as he rose up and dunked on Sam Perkins, Vince Carter does the same thing in more emphatic fashion over Dikembe Mutombo.

This was in Carter's rookie season so we'll give Mutombo the benefit of the doubt when we believe that he was just ignorant as to how much elevation he could get.

I'm sure Vince got a nose bleed from all the way up there.

21. Shaquille O'Neal Power Ones in on Shawn Bradley

Ouch. I'm sure Shawn Bradley's grandchildren felt that one.

Shaquille O'Neal just gave Bradley his daily dose of Vitamin P: Posterus dunkus.

20. Chris Webber Showboats and Dunks All over Charles Barkley

The TNT crew better not replace Chris Webber with Shaquille O'Neal.

I don't know of any dunks that O'Neal had on Barkley that TNT can show on a continuous loop.

19. Kobe Bryant with the Unbelievable Slam over Ben Wallace

This occurred early on in both players' career in the few years that Ben Wallace was a member of the Washington Wizards and Kobe Bryant had an afro.

Wallace wasn't too keen on shot-blocking or knowing just how athletic Bryant was. The five-time champion jumped from a few feet within the free-throw line and threw one down on Wallace, who was attempting to take a charge.

It's preseason, Ben. Either move or go for the block.

18. Kobe Bryant Conquers Mt. Yao

It's not an easy task to dunk on someone who has a foot on you and is pretty good at shot-blocking.

Yao Ming may have been one of the league's most intimidating post presences, but Kobe Bryant is also one of the league's most intimidating players.

Advantage: Kobe.

17. Tracy McGrady Sucks the Gravity out of the Building with a Poster on Bradley

Another emphatic Tracy McGrady dunk. Another poster involving Shawn Bradley. Another emphatic call, courtesy of Kevin Harlan.

Thank you, Shawn Bradley. Without you and your inability to just step away from a challenge, has paved the way for some of the league's greatest poster dunks.

16. Vince Carter Flies over Tim Duncan

The San Antonio Spurs should have known better than to allow Vince Carter any sort of breathing room.

As a result of the Spurs and their lack of defense, it ended up with Tim Duncan on the wrong end of a poster and Vince Carter adding another posterization to his resume.

15. Shawn Kemp Wins Most Embarrassing Poster Contest

If Shawn Kemp did something like today, there would be technical fouls and fines from all sides of the organization.

Luckily, this was in the 1990s when the league was fun and you were allowed to let your opponent know just how badly you embarrassed them. Poor Alton Lister made the wrong move when attempting to take a charge from the former Sonics high-flyer as Kemp threw one down on Lister and then mockingly pointed at him to add insult to injury.

14. Blake Griffin Dunks on Timofey Mozgov's Ancestors

Consider this payback for the 1972 Olympics when the Soviet Union robbed the United States of a gold medal.

Maybe this was a bit much from Blake Griffin who absolutely annihilated Timofey Mozgov on this poster dunk. Griffin didn't even touch the rim as he just threw the ball down into the basket with one hand and Mozgov's head in the other.

13. John Starks Completes "The Dunk"

No doubt this is a historic dunk. At 6'3", John Starks absolutely powered this one down over Horace Grant during their 1993 postseason series with the Chicago Bulls.

However, I never knew how Michael Jordan got roped into this. He was in the picture, sure, but did Starks really get anywhere near Jordan when completing the dunk?

I won't take anything away from the dunk however, it's one of the nastiest posters ever witnessed in a postseason setting.

12. Baron Davis Ruins Andrei Kirilenko

The Golden State Warriors postseason-run in 2007 was one of the most memorable of any eighth seed in NBA history.

They annihilated the No. 1-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round in six games and then took the Utah Jazz to five games before getting eliminated. Even though the run was short lived, the Warriors became overnight celebrities as a result of their break-neck speed offense, athletic players and electric crowd.

Their No. 1 highlight to come out of there was also easily the top highlight during the entire 2007 postseason with point guard Baron Davis throwing down a nasty dunk over the top of renowned defender Andrei Kirilenko.

11. Tom Chambers Gets Chest Level with the Rim over Mark Jackson

White man can jump, and he can jump very far and high.

The 6'10" Tom Chambers was one of the league's most underrated for his time, averaging as much as 27 points per game and making it on to four All-Star teams.

His top highlight comes as of one of the best overall dunks in the history of the game. Chambers takes a pass from Kevin Johnson on the fast break and lifts off over point guard Mark Jackson for the poster. What makes the poster so special is witnessing just how elevated Chambers actually gets. He gets his initial jump and then rises up off of Jackson's body to get nearly chest level with the rim.

It certainly wasn't pretty, it was with two hands for God's sake, but you have to respect a poster like this for the sheer athleticism that is displayed.

10. Kobe Bryant Gives Dwight Howard a Taste of Something He'd Rather Not Have

This was early on in Dwight Howard's career when he was mostly known as a young, upstart athlete fresh out of high school.

He wasn't as prolific a defender and shot-blocker as he is today and he paid for it with one of the ugliest posters in the history of the game thanks to Kobe Bryant. The Lakers superstar split the Magic double team and got an open lane with no one but Howard in front of him.

Howard didn't make any initiative to deter Bryant, so Kobe just decided to go over him and give him a taste of his *ahem* area.

9. Dwyane Wade Dunks and Steps over Anderson Varejao's Life

It was the perfect sequence for any person not a fan of LeBron James or the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It starts off with James' attempt at a poster being denied at the hands of Jermaine O'Neal which leads to Dwyane Wade starting a fast break. With the Cavaliers playing on their heels and the team making no attempt at keeping Wade out on the perimeter, Dwyane decided to take advantage by driving to the rim with no one in his way other than 6'11" center Anderson Varejao.

Wade responded by dunking over Varejao, sending him to the floor and then stepping over him. That would give anyone nightmares for a few weeks at least.

8. Kobe Bryant with the Unbelievable Slam over Kevin Garnett

Similar to a dunk involving the New York Knicks, Kobe Bryant did himself one better by doing the same thing with better defense, a better defender and in the playoffs.

With two seven-footers draped over him, Rasho Nesterovic and Kevin Garnett, Bryant used his speed to drive past Garnett to get to the rim. Rather than attempting a lay-up that could have easily been blocked or passing out for a play that wouldn't have been a highlight, Bryant decided to take matters into his own hands by lifting off from one end of the paint, dunking the ball on the opposite side of where he jumped from and ending up on the other side of the paint.

Only Kobe can make a dunk like this and only Kevin Harlan can make a call like that as well.

7. Kevin Johnson Is the Nightmare in Hakeem Olajuwon's Dreams

This dunk is so well-known now because of how surprised we all were when we first saw it.

Kevin Johnson is 6'1" and isn't known too well for his dunks. Hakeem Olajuwon, on the other hand, was one of the league's top shot-blockers at the time and was feared by opposing players when they entered his paint.

Johnson took no mind to this and went into the paint with the sole objective of getting the most difficult two points of his life. He went baseline and rose up quick enough for the dunk before Olajuwon could react and send the attempt back.

6. Vince Carter Just Destroys Alonzo Mourning

And this wasn't even his best, not by a long shot.

Alonzo Mourning was 6'10", 240 pounds in his prime and was basically solid muscle. He was also one of the league's most intimidating defenders even during his later years when this monumental poster occurred.

Vince Carter lifted off after a pretty behind-the-back move on Jason Williams and moved Mourning in mid-air with his body. It shows just how much power Carter uses in his dunks by moving a 240-pound man out of bounds and the sheer magnitude and effort he puts into every throwdown.

5. Scottie Pippen Dunks on Patrick Ewing's Career

Patrick Ewing had an illustrious career that came complete with a number of All-Star nominations, All-NBA first teams, and All-Defensive first teams.

However, he could never obtain the ring that he longed for. He made it to two finals, but came up short on both occasions with a seven-game loss in 1994 and a five-game loss in 1999.

He could have had more chances to obtain that championship had he not been in the same conference as Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls constantly stopped the Knicks in their tracks in the postseason and they only made it to the finals during Jordan's two retirements.

The individuals on the Bulls also wanted to make sure that Ewing knew who they were going against. Scottie Pippen was one of those players and he made his presence felt when he put Ewing on the opposite end of one of the worst posters in the history of the game.

Pippen not only dunked on Ewing, but he sent him to the floor and pushed him.

4. Dominique Wilkins Takes Larry Bird's Lunch Money

Not a famous dunk, but it should be.

This clash of the titans between Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird occurred during a preseason matchup between Wilkins' Hawks and Bird's Celtics. The poster starts off with Wilkins on the fast break with no one in front of him aside from Bird, who was coming in from an opposite angle to attempt to block Wilkins' dunk.

Instead of blocking the dunk, Wilkins went up with two hands for added power and emphasis and threw it down. The sheer power of the dunk sent Bird to the floor as he nearly lands in the lap of the referee who was on the baseline.

3. Julius Erving Gives Michael Cooper a Dose of Anesthesia

It's too hilarious to watch this dunk in slow motion.

Watch how Michael Cooper extends his arm and then slowly pulls back once Julius Erving finishes his wind-up. He already made the unwise decision of actually attempting to go up with Erving, but then made up for it by just flying by in the picture and ending up one of the game's most historic poster dunks.

It's in Cooper's defensive nature to deter any player from scoring, but he should have just let Dr. J have the rock-the-cradle dunk without the poster.

2. Michael Jordan Dunks on the Entire City of New York

Michael Jordan made sure not to just dunk on Patrick Ewing in this instance. He made sure to let the entire city of New York feel his disdain for the Knicks.

Jordan dunked on John Starks, Charles Oakley, Kiki Vandeweghe, Patrick Ewing, Spike Lee, Rudy Giuliani, Willis Reed's bum thigh muscle, Walt Frazier's wardrobe, Donald Trump and all of his towers, Leona Helmsley, Wall Street, Broadway, Yankee Stadium, that apple that used to come out of Shea Stadium when someone hit a home run, Dick Clark and the New Year's ball, all in one instance.

We get it Mike, you're really good at this and you don't care for the good people of New York. Leave the Knicks alone.

1. Vince Carter Completes the Poster Dunk to End All Poster Dunks

Never before have I loved hearing foreign commentators.

I don't understand a word they're saying, it would be great if a commenter could decipher for me, but it sounds like they're pretty excited after witnessing first hand quite possibly the greatest dunk in the history of basketball.

During the United States 2000 Gold Medal run during the Sydney Olympics, the team took on an inexperienced French squad. They were already up big and decided to show off a little after an attempt at entertainment from a French player who attempted a no-look pass.

What resulted in that botched no-look pass was the greatest dunk ever witnessed in the mainstream. Known for his unbelievable dunks already, Vince Carter stole the ball and then lifted off over the top of the French center who stood at 7'2". Carter jumped clear over Weis and even managed to finish the dunk which marked the first time in regulation basketball history that a player has legitimately jumped over a player and finished the dunk in the same sequence.

The dunk today is known by the French as "Le Dunk de la mort." In English, it's better known as the dunk of death.

I can see why.