Greatest dunkers of all time

Vince Carter▲ Rising

The 2000 Olympics dunk over 7'2" Frederic Weis was so violent the French media christened it "le dunk de la mort" — the dunk of death. He turned the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest into a legendary coronation, elbow-in-the-rim included, and made highlight reels a global export before YouTube even existed. Half Man Half Amazing isn't hyperbole; it's a job title he earned in real time.

added by IJRin 2 rankingsVince Carter

Michael Jordan▲ Rising

The free-throw-line takeoff at the 1988 Dunk Contest became the silhouette for an entire shoe empire, proof that his dunks were as much theater as violence. He dunked on people, over people, and through people for fourteen years with a killer's intent that made every poster feel personal. You can debate the rankings below him forever, but the logo itself settles the argument for the top.

added by IJRin 13 rankings

Dominique Wilkins▲ Rising

The Human Highlight Film earned that nickname the hard way, detonating on defenders with a ferocity that made Atlanta must-watch TV in an era before national broadcasts cared. His 1988 Dunk Contest battle with Jordan is still argued about by people who weren't alive to see it, a testament to how high the bar was that night. Nobody dunked with more pure violence and fewer wasted motions.

added by IJRin 2 rankingsDominique Wilkins

Julius Erving▲ Rising

Dr. J's free-throw-line takeoff in the 1976 ABA Dunk Contest didn't just win a trophy, it invented the entire vocabulary of aerial basketball that everyone after him would speak. The rock-the-cradle dunk over Michael Cooper in the '83 Finals turned a simple two points into a piece of iconography. He's the reason dunking became an art form instead of just a way to score — the patriarch this whole list descends from.

added by IJRJulius Erving

Ja Morant▼ Falling

At 6'2" he's windmilled over seven-footers and posterized shot-blockers who had no business getting dunked on, making his size the punchline instead of the excuse. The eastbound-and-down slam over the Pelicans' front line went viral for being physically unreasonable given his height. Morant belongs on this list because he's rewriting the size requirements for terror at the rim in real time.

added by IJRin 2 rankingsJa Morant

Zach LaVine▼ Falling

His 2016 Dunk Contest duel with Aaron Gordon is the modern gold standard, a back-and-forth of increasingly absurd athleticism that ended in a tie because nobody could bear to declare a loser. The between-the-legs from the free-throw line reintroduced flight to a league that had drifted toward threes and spacing. LaVine proved a guard's vertical game could still headline highlight shows in the analytics era.

added by IJRin 2 rankingsZach LaVine

Blake Griffin▼ Falling

Jumping over a Kia in the 2011 Dunk Contest was corporate stunt basketball, sure, but it also announced a rookie who dunked with the terrifying mass of a power forward playing a guard's game. The put-back slam over Kendrick Perkins turned a routine sequence into a moment people still gif a decade later. He redefined what a 6'10" athlete was allowed to do to a help defender.

added by IJRin 2 rankingsBlake Griffin

Shawn Kemp▼ Falling

The Reign Man built a career on dunking on people so hard it became a verb — ask Alton Lister, who got Kemp-ed so viciously the moment is still called simply "The Dunk" in Seattle. He combined a guard's leap with a big man's power in a way the league hadn't fully seen, turning fast breaks into public humiliations. Kemp's highlight reel is pure malice, and that's exactly the case for his spot here.

added by IJRin 2 rankingsShawn Kemp