Part competition, part spectacle, part popularity contest, the dunk competition is one of the premiere exhibitions in all of sports. Despite the contest taking a hit in recent years, it remains a must watch every All-Star weekend.
While we’ll never forget the legends of the past who have sat atop the Mount Rushmore of dunks, those who didn’t hoist the trophy provided some equally memorable moments.
Here are the 10 best dunkers to never win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
10. Darrell Griffith – Dr. Dunkenstein was a semi-finalist in the NBA’s inaugural dunk contest in 1984 and was eliminated in the first round of the ‘85 competition. He remains one of the most slept on dunkers of all-time and boasts of an eye popping 48-inch vertical.
(Griffith does his thing at the 2:05 mark)
9. Kenny Smith – What he lacked in hops, The Jet made up for with creativity. His iconic between the legs, off the backboard dunk is his calling card and was good enough to earn Kenny a second place finish to Dominique Wilkins in 1990 and a birth in the semi-finals of the ’91 competition.
8. Andre Iguodala – The only one-time entrant who makes the list. Iguodala’s unbelievable behind the backboard dunk rivals some of the best dunks in the history of the competition.
7. Rex Chapman – Forget about Woody Harrelson’s inability. Rex Chapman can jump! The closest Rex ever got to the crown was a semi-final finish in the 1991 contest but his creativity and sick boosties make him one of the best to never hoist the trophy at All-Star weekend.
6. Terence Stansbury – The precursor to The Air Up There’s 720, Stansbury was the master of the 360. As a three time semi-finalist, Terence was just a victim of wrong place wrong time having to compete against names such as Jordan, Nique and Dr. J.
5. Steve Francis – Francis was the runner up to Vinsanity in the 2000 competition – quite possibly the best contest ever. Stevie Franchise, a semi-finalist in 2002, remains one of the best dunkers ever off the bounce.
4. J. R. Smith – My Name is Earl has never made it out of the first round in his two appearances in the dunk contest. None the less, J.R. always manages to pull off something nasty and as memorable as any dunk in the competition.
3. Shawn Kemp – One of the best in-game dunkers in the history of the game, The Rain Man was a victim of his height. Before Dwight Howard’s Superman gimmick in 2008, no big man had ever won the contest. Ironically, Kemp was a runner up in 1991 thanks to Dee Brown’s gimmicks.
2. Clyde Drexler – If at first you don’t succeed, Glide, Glide again. Drexler entered the contest 5 times, was a two time semi-finalist and lost to Kenny “Sky” Walker in the final round of the 1989 competition. Drexler’s smooth style earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame but never a slam dunk championship.
1. Julius Erving – The Good Doctor is the Godfather of the dunk. In 1976, Erving was crowned the first ever champion of a dunk contest. However, that was in the ABA. By the time the NBA adopted the contest, Dr. J was at the end of his stellar career. Julius was a runner up to Larry Nance in the NBA’s inaugural contest in ’84 and was a semi-finalist in 1985.
Chris Shellcroft is the lead blogger for Just Blog Baby, occasional contributor on Lake Show Life and an all around righteous dude. You can follow him on Twitter.
