7 Best Dunks of all Time

Guest poster Oscar Waterworth sent us this article on the 7 best dunks of all time. Agree or Disagree? It is just in time for basketball season.

Talking about media coverage, player salaries as well as occasional off court scandal and beef amongst the players, NBA is head and shoulders above any other basketball league in the world. However, opposite to the popular opinion, media isn’t everything, it never is. The key to this association’s popularity is its unparalleled game quality. Here are some of the best dunks in the history of the sport to support this claim. Enjoy!

Michael Jordan

It would be futile to start any list of memorable moves in the history of NBA without mentioning Michael Jordan at least several times. This being said, it is even hard to make a list composing only of Jordan’s greatest dunks. Still, because of its incredible grace of the move and the impact it left on the game, we will have to set out the dunk in the 1991 Playoffs vs. the Knicks. Jordan’s complete lack of respect for the Knicks defense deserves not only a place on this list, but an eternal spot in the heart of every true basketball fan.

Scottie Pippen

Carrying on with yet another Bull from their golden age, number two on this list is none other than Jordan’s celebrated teammate Scottie Pippen. Sometimes, the move on the field is followed by even the greater one in the press and that is definitely what can be told for Pippen’s total annihilation of Patrick Ewing. This move made crowd go wild and the press to go even wilder. So wild in fact that even today, over two decades later they simply can’t get enough of this dunk.

Blake Griffin

The aim of this article however is not to cause a nostalgia and to prove it, we came up with one of the best contemporary dunking-masterpieces. When it comes to the history of the NBA, its pages are written every day and when its dunks are in question Blake Griffin is one of the most prolific authors. His dunk over Kendrick Perkins in 2012 is almost inhumane, and hard to watch for those sensitive and weak of heart. Still because of Griffin, every LA Clippers game is a dunk fest so if you are in for the show, just get your basketball tickets and enjoy the ride.

LeBron James

LeBron, manages to surprise us in almost every seasonal transfer. His love-hate-love relationship with Cleveland and many other similar NBA stories are almost the stuff of legends. The only even more intriguing thing here are his unparalleled abilities as a player. Some even claim that his dunk versus Dallas Mavericks in 2011 is what motivated the German superstar Dirk Nowitzki to obliterate the Lebron’s Miami team at the time during the 2011 NBA Finals.

Kobe Bryant

This player, is almost the embodiment of the entire LA Lakers team. Some hate him while numerous would give all they have to be in his presence. The reason for this is quite simple. Whether some people liked this or not Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players that this generation has seen. If you still have your doubts, just take a look at his reverse dunk vs. Wolves in 2003 and wipe away any insecurity regarding Kobe’s greatness.

Tracy McGrady

Speaking of incredible dunks, it would be plane insane not to mention at least one Alley Oop on this list. Even though, this move is quite rare, because of the frequency of the NBA games and long history of this sport there are many Alley Oops that are worth mentioning. So your question now is probably this: what separates Tracy McGrady’s Alley Oop from the rest? The answer to this question is quite simple: the fact that he can make it on his own, no help required from his teammates.

Russell Westbrook

There must have been something off with the year 2012 since it gave us not one but at least two, legendary dunks worthy of this list. First one being Griffin’s and the second one made by Russell Westbrook in the last quarter of the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. The opinions are divided on this one, whether it is one of the best dunks ever made or actually the single best dunk ever. Be as it may, this move just might be the shiniest moment of Westbrook’s, otherwise, exquisite career.

In the end, the truth is that no list, regardless of the number you put in front of it can ever hope to capture the full greatness of the NBA and people who make it what it is. Only thing you can do is get your cards, gather your friend and go out there where the history is made. What better story can there be to tell and retell your grandchildren over and over again one day.