NBA Slam Dunk Contest 2013: 10 Greatest All-Time Slam Dunks

1. Michael Jordan – “The Free Throw Line” (1988)

There have been more complex dunks, there have been flashier and more luxurious dunks but no dunk has been as iconic as Michael Jordan’s dunk from the free throw line in the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest in Chicago. Jordan knew the arena, he knew the fans and he knew he wanted to lave Chicago with a lasting impression of All-Star Game festivities. In this same contest we saw Dominique Wilkens elevate higher than anyone should be able to but this was different — this was everyone in attendance watching a human being fly. Jordan leaps at the free throw line and doesn’t return to the ground until the ball is in the hoop. This isn’t just hands-down the most iconic moment in the history of the Slam Dunk Contest, it’s one of the most iconic moments for the entire sport as a whole. People that have never even watched the NBA before pretend to leap from the free throw line and dunk the ball, that’s how massive this moment was for basketball. Needless to say, Jordan needed a 48 to win the contest and he got a solid 50 for becoming the first human being to fly without the aid of boosters. It’s cliched now to say it, but this is perhaps the greatest moment in NBA All-Star history.