There are moments in NBA history that don’t just change a game; they etch themselves into the fabric of basketball forever. The NBA top 10 dunks of all time are more than highlights—they’re statements, declarations of dominance, and pure expressions of athletic poetry.
Dunks can swing championships, crown kings, and devastate defenders. Over decades of play, a handful have elevated the slam from routine to revolutionary. Every so often, a dunk rivals a Finals buzzer-beater or MVP season for influence. These are the electrifying plays that fuel barbershop debates and inspire generations to aim higher.
This list isn’t about the most technical or even the highest jumps. It’s about the power, context, and legacy of those split-second sky-high detonations—the dunks that made the world stop and watch. Let’s dive into the NBA’s most unforgettable airborne moments.
Context: Why This Matters
It’s the eternal NBA barbershop argument—what really matters most: rings, raw talent, or viral impact? Some insist championships are the only ultimate measure. Others argue there are moments—posters, dunks, or game-winners—that literally shift the course of the league and its culture.
Highlight dunks blur those lines. Sometimes, a single slam can turn a series, melt a defender’s confidence, or launch a player’s global appeal. These plays spark endless arguments between old heads, superfan YouTubers, and young hoopers dreaming of their own turn in the spotlight.
In a league measured by dynasties and stats, dunks remain the wildcards—flashpoints no one forgets.
Methodology
How do you rank the NBA top 10 dunks of all time? We weighed raw athleticism against stage, impact, and aftershocks lasting decades. Here’s how this list was built:
- Moment Impact (40%): Did the dunk define or change a game, series, or rivalry?
- Legacy and Influence (30%): Did it inspire others, get replayed for years, or affect a player’s reputation?
- Athletic Difficulty (15%): Was it high-flying, over a legendary defender, or technically stunning?
- Stage (15%): Playoffs, All-Star Saturday, or in-game context—bigger moments, more weight.
Primary sources include NBA.com, Basketball-Reference, Hall of Fame archives, and decades of league storytelling.
The Moments That Changed Everything
1. Vince Carter Over Frederic Weis—2000 Olympics
Sydney, 2000. Vince Carter, a windstorm in sneakers, snatches the ball, takes a single stride, and vaults entirely over 7’2” Frederic Weis. For an instant, time halts. Cameras click, teammates stare, and France’s bench is frozen in disbelief.
Though not an NBA game, this dunk made Carter a global basketball phenomenon. The sheer audacity—leaping clean over another pro, in live play—turned “Vinsanity” into a global brand. Back in the league, Carter’s profile soared. The NBA recognized his creative violence in the 2000 Dunk Contest, but this in-game detonation defined airborne excellence.
You could argue it for number one on visuals alone. But its international context and revolutionary impact tip it to the top. “That was not a man dunking. That was something else,” Kenny Smith recalled.
Key facts:
– 8-time NBA All-Star
– 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion
– Played 22 NBA seasons, 25,728 career points
– “Le dunk de la mort” (“The Dunk of Death”) in France
Authoritative sources: nba.com, espn.com
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2. Michael Jordan Free-Throw Line—1988 Slam Dunk Contest
Chicago Stadium, All-Star Weekend. Michael Jordan steadies himself, takes off from the free-throw line, hangs in flight, and slams home a dunk that would define his brand. The image remains wallpaper for millions and a silhouette on hundreds of products.
This was MJ’s essence—creativity, elegance, and show-time coolness with millions watching. It didn’t win a playoff game, but it did plant Jordan in the center of basketball’s imagination. Even in contests, the world saw a champion’s mentality: nerves of steel amplified by artistry.
Against Dominique Wilkins, the contest was mythic. Jordan’s career brought six rings and a global appetite for dunkers, but no single slam carried more mystique than this airborne moment.
Key facts:
– 6× NBA champion, 5× MVP
– 1988 Slam Dunk Contest winner
– Inspired generations of athletes and marketers
Authoritative sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com
🧵 On X
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3. Shawn Kemp Double-Point Dunk vs. Warriors—1992 Playoffs
Seattle, 1992. Shawn Kemp drives past his defender, explodes, and throws down a one-handed finish over Alton Lister. The dunk is thunderous—but it’s Kemp’s cheeky double-point at Lister’s fallen body that turns it into legend.
This was the Reign Man’s signature: force, flair, and an edge bordering on disrespect. Though Kemp never won a ring, his dunks made the Supersonics must-watch TV. His power was cartoonish, his highlights endless, and this playoff dunk crowned Kemp as the era’s most feared leaper not named Jordan.
Kemp never became an all-time great in the stat books. But for pure dunk iconography, this moment is immortal. “He just tried to end him,” Gary Payton later joked.
Key facts:
– 6× NBA All-Star
– NBA Finals appearance (1996)
– 14.6 career PPG, top-10 dunker of the ‘90s
Authoritative sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com
🧵 On X
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4. LeBron James—“The Dunk” On Jason Terry (2013)
Miami, 2013. The Celtics try a routine pass. Suddenly, LeBron explodes down the lane, grabs a lob from Norris Cole, and detonates over Jason Terry. The crowd gasps, teammates sprint downcourt in awe, and LeBron stares down his opponent—ice cold.
This dunk wasn’t just violent. It was personal—LeBron and the Heat exorcising playoff demons against Boston. “He got in the way,” LeBron deadpanned afterward, downplaying the carnage. King James’s legacy is built on rings and Finals MVPs, but this play condensed his athletic dominance into a single sequence.
Why rank it here? Few poster dunks better represent a superstar’s evolving narrative—LeBron overwhelming an old nemesis.
Key facts:
– 4× NBA champion, 4× MVP
– NBA’s all-time scoring leader
– Finals MVP on three teams
Authoritative sources: nba.com, espn.com
🧵 On X
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5. Blake Griffin Over Kendrick Perkins—2012
Staples Center, 2012. Lob City lobs. Chris Paul flips a pass, and Blake Griffin climbs, knees tucked, nearly horizontal in the sky. Perkins stands, and Griffin unleashes a brutal throwdown—soaring over the big man and nearly decapitating him in the process.
This was Griffin’s NBA coming-out party. The Perkins dunk was instantly viral—shared millions of times, debated endlessly, feared by defenders everywhere. Griffin’s raw elevation and audacity made dunking central to the Clippers’ identity.
Blake never got close to a ring, and his All-NBA arc faded with injuries. But when you picture modern in-game dunks, this one is always at the front.
Key facts:
– 6× NBA All-Star, 5× All-NBA
– 2011 Rookie of the Year
– 17,000+ career points
Authoritative sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com
🧵 On X
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6. Julius Erving “The Rock the Baby”—1983 Finals
Forum, 1983. Dr. J glides baseline, cradling the rock like a loaf of bread. Michael Cooper, a defensive ace, leaps to challenge. But Erving swings the ball far outside, then throws down a reverse one-handed jam—pure jazz in the air.
This was Dr. J at his showtime best. The dunk didn’t win Philly the title, but it did help bury Showtime Lakers hopes that night. Erving’s high-flying style previewed the next generation: Jordan, Carter, and more. “That was poetry,” Cooper later admitted.
No Finals slam, not even Jordan in ‘91, has combined artistry and stage with such an effortless finish.
Key facts:
– 1983 NBA champion, 1× NBA MVP (3x ABA MVP)
– 16× All-Star (NBA+ABA)
– Hall of Fame inductee
Authoritative sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com
🧵 On X
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7. Dwyane Wade Over Anderson Varejao—2009
Cleveland, 2009. Dwyane Wade flashes past defenders, cocks back the ball, and ferociously dunks over Anderson Varejao, sending the Cavs big man tumbling into the stanchion. Wade looks down, stone-faced, then backpedals in satisfaction.
This play was peak Flash. Though Wade already boasted a Finals MVP, his reputation as a two-way leader grew with every highlight. This moment made endless “top dunks” reels and locked his rivalry with LeBron and the Cavs into NBA lore.
Wade’s career numbers and championships put him among shooting guard royalty. This dunk is his most iconic signature.
Key facts:
– 3× NBA champion, 2006 Finals MVP
– 13× NBA All-Star
– 23,165 career points
Authoritative sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com
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8. Scottie Pippen Over Patrick Ewing—1994 Playoffs
Chicago, 1994. With Jordan watching from the baseball diamond, Pippen explodes baseline and hammers over Patrick Ewing, knocking the Knicks’ legend to the floor before standing over him in defiance. The crowd erupts; the Bulls’ title hopes suddenly pulse again.
Pippen’s dunk wasn’t technically the most difficult. But in context—a Bulls team without MJ, the biggest rival in the conference, all on Ewing’s home turf—it was ultimate defiance. This play capped Pippen’s best solo season and sealed his rep as more than a sidekick.
Knock for knock, this one still sparks “who owned the ‘90s East?” debates.
Key facts:
– 6× NBA champion, 7× All-Star
– NBA All-Defensive First Team (8×)
– Hall of Fame
Authoritative sources: nba.com, espn.com
🧵 On X
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9. Baron Davis On Andrei Kirilenko—2007 Playoffs (“We Believe” Warriors)
Oracle Arena, 2007. The Warriors are the underdogs, the 8-seed, riding a tidal wave of belief. Baron Davis catches at the arc, blazes past, and detonates a vicious one-hander over Utah’s Kirilenko. The reaction: Davis lifts his jersey to expose his abs, the crowd loses its mind.
For one run, Davis and the Warriors gave us March-style NBA madness. This dunk—against a Defensive Player of the Year—was the exclamation mark. While Davis’ career didn’t net rings, his “We Believe” dunk remains a fan favorite.
“People still remind me everywhere,” Davis smiled years later.
Key facts:
– 2× NBA All-Star
– Led Warriors to historic 2007 playoff upset
– 13.1 PPG, 6.4 APG career averages
Authoritative sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com
🧵 On X
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10. Tom Chambers Double-Pump Elevation—1989
Seattle, 1989. Tom Chambers catches a pass, takes one dribble, then explodes—seemingly climbing atop Mark Jackson’s shoulders, double-pumping midair, and throwing down a two-handed tomahawk several feet above the rim.
Chambers was a four-time All-Star, but this dunk remains his immortal claim. It’s the “how did he get that high?” moment of NBA lore. Not a playoff or Finals dunk, but the pure physical height and violence put it in all-time territory.
Other stars—Dominique Wilkins, Gerald Green—have more contests or highlights, but Chambers’ in-game levitation is simply unforgettable.
Key facts:
– 4× NBA All-Star
– 20,049 career points
– Highest in-game elevation in NBA memory
Authoritative sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com
🧵 On X
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Final Thoughts
Ranking the NBA top 10 dunks of all time is a window into basketball’s soul—the wild, unscripted moments that rewrite expectations. These aren’t just vertical feats or viral GIFs; they’re game-changing swings in narrative and legacy.
Many of today’s stars—Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Anthony Edwards—are already producing dunks that feel destined for future lists. As the pace and spacing of the game open lanes once closed, the next era of dunkers may raise the bar even higher.
But some moments endure above athleticism alone. Carter at the Olympics, Jordan from the line, Kemp’s singular rage—these are basketball’s collective memories, time capsules for old heads and new fans alike.
Decades from now, barbershop debates will rage on: Did you see that dunk? Will anyone ever top it?
