10 Best Dunks In NBA History, Ranked

Great dunks are such a big part of why basketball fans love basketball. There’s nothing like when a basketball player rises up and throws down a special slam.

Related: 10 Best Dunks From The NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Ranked

Whether it be a poster, an alley-oop slam or a flashy spectacle, there isn’t much that can make a crowd erupt more than an all-time slam dunk. While dunks in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest won’t be included in this list, there are so many great dunks that happened in game, these 10 chief among them.

10 Derrick Rose On Goran Dragic

Before his first ACL tear, during his fourth season in the NBA (2011-12), Derrick Rose was one of the best and most explosive players in the league. Rose on a fast break was practically unguardable and he could jump out of the gym.

That’s exactly what he did during the Chicago Bulls’ game against the Phoenix Suns January 22, 2010, when he went up for a two-handed poster on Suns’ guard Goran Dragic. From the initial jump to putting the ball behind his head to landing with an impact on the floor, this is one of the most electrifying dunks in NBA history.

To wrap a bow on this, a Bulls commentator so aptly exclaimed, “You cannot be serious! I wanna go higher!” It’s a shame NBA fans would only get to see the former league MVP put on shows similar to this for just over one more year before his career was ever changed.

9 Gerald Green Windmill Off A Lob

It’s not every day basketball fans see someone jump so high for a dunk their head is over the rim. Rarer still is that feat accomplished while catching a lob, only to top it all off with a windmill slam.

Gerald Green, career bench player, put on an absolute show for fans in New Jersey March 10, 2012, when the Nets took on the Houston Rockets. This is easily the highlight of Green’s career and would be one of the highlights of almost any all-time great’s career.

8 Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O’Neal Lob Vs Portland

While there may be far more impressive dunks on this very list, there may not be any more iconic. When NBA fans read or hear Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O’Neal lob, they can almost instantly picture the scene.

June 4, 2000. Los Angeles Lakers V. Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. Bob Costas on the call, “Kobe to Shaq!”

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The roar of the crowd, the overjoyed facial expression from Shaq, pointing at a young Kobe. This was a dunk legends are made of.

7 LeBron On Jason Terry

Dwyane Wade to Mario Chalmers to Norris Cole to LeBron James. All over Jason Terry.

A simple retelling of The King’s greatest dunk of his legendary career, yet words don’t do it justice. Many say James’ time with the Miami Heat was LeBron at his best, or at least most successful, and with dunks like these, it’s hard to disagree.

LeBron was ruthless at this time in his career, staring down Terry after this vicious dunk to make even more of a statement against the Celtics’ superteam of 2013.

6 Baron Davis On Andrei Kirilenko

A dunk similar to Kobe’s lob to Shaq, in that this lands on the list more so for the moment than the dunk itself, though the dunk itself is phenomenal. During the 2006-07 season, the Golden State Warriors were by no means favored to make the NBA Playoffs.

Make the Playoffs they did, when they squeaked in as an eight seed, going toe-to-toe with the one seed Denver Nuggets. Golden State’s team was titled the “We Believe” Warriors, embodied most of all by point guard Baron Davis.

Standing at 6’3, as compared to Nuggets power forward Andrei Kirilenko’s 6’9, Davis threw down an emphatic slam, posterizing the big man to an unrivaled ovation in the Bay. The Warriors went on to upset the Nuggets and win the series, riding the momentum of the poster.

5 Paul George 360 Windmill

Former Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George knows how to put on a show at the rim. While not as explosive as he was in, let’s say, January 18, 2014, PG-13 is still one of the best dunkers in the NBA.

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At the time of this dunk, however, George was coming into his prime and leading the Pacers to be one of the best teams in the league. Facing off against the “Lob City” Los Angeles Clippers, who featured prominent dunker Blake Griffin, PG picked as good a time as ever to electrify Indianapolis.

To follow, the All-Star was able to secure the ball on a fast break, all alone on one side of the court where he threw down an unbelievable 360 windmill dunk normally reserved for NBA Slam Dunk Contests.

4 Dwyane Wade On Kendrick Perkins

During the 2010-11 season, the Miami Heat were in their first year of the “Big Three Era” and out with something to prove. Going up against the young and upcoming Oklahoma City Thunder, backed by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, Dwyane Wade put up one of the best dunks anyone is likely to ever see.

With a nasty spin move leading into a two-handed poster on Thunder big man Kendrick Perkins, The Mayor of “Wade” County topped off this legendary dunk with a classic taunt. Not much more can be said of this slam, so just go and watch it.

3 Shaquille O’Neal On Chris Dudley

Having already appeared on this list, it’s evident that during his prime, Shaq was a force to be reckoned with, practically unguardable. Not only was he one of the best centers of all-time, he may be one of the most entertaining players to ever touch a basketball.

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On March 28, 1999, The Diesel threw down his greatest and most disrespectful dunk of many greats. His poster on New York Knicks center Chris Dudley was a powerful two-handed slam, where O’Neal finished it off by swinging towards Dudley and shoving him to the ground.

As Shaq ran to get back on defense, Dudley hurled the ball at the Lakers big man, clearly upset. Though Dudley was angry after the dunk, NBA fans are anything but looking back on this vicious dunk.

2 Julius Erving Rocks The Baby

The most iconic dunk in NBA history, Julius Erving’s classic slam January 5, 1983 set the world on fire, offering basketball fans something unlike anything they had ever seen up to that point. Philadelphia 76er fans erupted as Dr. J threw down this legendary dunk, but it’s impossible they could have known just how legendary this moment was.

Dr. J is one of the all-time greats, always putting on a show for NBA fans, yet none bigger or better than this particular dunk. It wouldn’t be too far off to say Erving’s “Rock The Baby” slam paved the way for countless flashy dunks to follow.

1 DeAndre Jordan On Brandon Knight

As iconic as Dr. J’s dunk in 1983 was, nothing compares to DeAndre Jordan’s amazing poster on Brandon Knight 30 years later. March 10, 2013, the former Los Angeles Clippers center lived up to the “Lob City” moniker, better than his teammate Blake Griffin ever would.

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Though Griffin has multiple dunks that could have made this list, Jordan’s poster on the former Detroit Pistons guard is unbelievable, even after multiple viewings.

Jordan’s stank face after the fact sums everything up. Great dunks are such a big part of why basketball fans love basketball.