On Saturday, four high-flying dunks will participate in the 2024 NBA AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.
This year's contest will feature Miami Heat rookie forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, New York Knicks rookie forward Jacob Toppin and defending champion Mac McClung of the Osceola Magic , the G-League affiliate of the Orlando Magic.
While the dunk contest may contain varying degrees of star power from year to year, that doesn't erase the competition's history. Whether it's Dwight Howard dressing up as Superman for a big hit or Gerald Green blowing out a candle on a cupcake mid-dunk, there are moments from this contest that live in fans' minds long after the champion is crowned.
These are some of the most memorable dunk contests:
2016, Toronto
Aaron Gordon started the game with a reverse between-the-legs move. Zach LaVine matched the energy by launching an alley-oop for a behind-the-back reverse hit.
The stakes increased with each round: Gordon introduced Stuff the Magic Dragon, the Magic's mascot, in a dunk that required him to jump over the mascot while performing an Eastbay three-sixty slam. LaVine followed with an alley-oop by Andre Miller from the free throw line.
With the help of Stuff the Magic Dragon again, Gordon did something fans had not seen before in a dunk contest. The things were spinning in a circle on a hoverboard with the ball in their left hand like a statue. After timing his next move, Gordon handcuffed the ball as he did a 360 tomahawk before smashing it into the rim.
LaVine and Gordon earned perfect scores in three of the four rounds of the championship. The contest ended when Gordon received a 47 on a fake backwards dunk with a tomahawk, and LaVine scored a 50 on a between-the-legs dunk from the free throw line to capture the victory.
2000, Oakland
Since the NBA did not have an All-Star weekend in 1999 due to a lockout, the league pulled out all the stops for its return.
What would be bigger than Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady?
Both dunkers ignited the build with their first attempts, each earning 50 points. McGrady consisted of a self-alley-oop with a reverse double-pump dunk. Carter matched his then-Toronto Raptors teammate with a 360-degree windmill.
“I feel good, I've done it two or three times in my life before that,” Carter said after the dunk. “I didn't practice, it was extreme but I felt good.”
The famous “it's over” line came from Carter's third dunk of the contest. With the help of McGrady, who bounced the ball on the ground, Carter caught the ball in the air and put it between his legs. He also performed a dunk in which he stuck his elbow in the rim.
Carter won with 98 points compared to Steve Francis' 91 and McGrady's 77.
1997, Cleveland
After entering the league from Lower Merion High School, Kobe Bryant competed in the dunk contest at just 18 years old.
Bryant missed two dunks, which put a lot of pressure on the rookie. But a 49 on a between-the-legs dunk kept him in the competition.
Bryant's 49er etched his name in the history books as the youngest player to win a dunk contest.
1988, chicago
Representing the home team, the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan faced a formidable lineup of dunkers that included Dominique Wilkins, aka “Human Highlight Reel,” Clyde Drexler, Spud Webb, Otis Smith and Greg Anderson. But all eyes were on the duel between Wilkins and Jordan.
Wilkins and Jordan traded perfect scores in the final round. The judges gave Jordan a 47 for his two-handed “rock the cradle” dunk and Wilkins a 45 for his two-handed windmill.
Wilkins finished the contest with 145 points, and Jordan still had one more dunk attempt. He needed to score 49 to win the contest.
Imitating Julius Erving with his famous dunk from the free throw line, Jordan personalized the play by sticking out his tongue and holding a pose while floating in the air, earning a perfect score and the title of champion of the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest.
1986, Dallas
Webb, who stood 5-foot-7, had to contend with a lineup that had an average height of 6-foot-7.
In the finals, Webb went head-to-head with Wilkins, his teammate and reigning Slam Dunk Contest Champion. Webb made two perfect dunks to put pressure on Wilkins. On his last attempt, the 6-foot-7 forward threw a two-handed windmill that only received a 48, giving him a second-place finish.
“He put on a great show… He made some dunks that I didn't think he had and he went after it pretty hard.” [and] “He made some dunks at the rim that, hey, a lot of guys who are 6-foot-7 couldn't make,” Wilkins said.
1976, Denver
The 1976 dunk contest was the first professional dunk contest held by the ABA before the NBA introduced the first one in 1977. Dunk contests then had strict rules. Each participant had five dunks that he would perform, two of which were mandatory and three of which could be performed freestyle.
For his standing dunk, Julius Erving took two basketballs and dunked them backwards and immediately began timing his steps from the free throw line.
Erving approached the foul line and took three strides before taking off and shooting the ball.
“Doc's hair was flying back,” George Gervin said, referring to Erving's afro.
