10 greatest slam dunk contest performances of all time

5. Michael Jordan (1987)

MJ won back-to-back Slam Dunk Contests at the 1987 and 1988 All-Star festivities. We give the nod to his 1987 performance because his victory was well-earned, and not plagued by controversy.

While many believe his win in 1988 to be tainted, and that he was outdueled in his home city of Chicago by rival Dominique Wilkins, his ’87 performance was a pure victory and showed everything we always loved and marveled about Jordan.

He came out the gate with a sky-walking, rock-a-baby dunk that began as a single-handed cupped grip and finished as a two-hand slam with authority. A classic example of Jordan’s ability to hang in the air for eternity while toying with the ball before a jam.

His second finish was a bit ho-hum after missing a bold try with his first attempt. His initial dunk would have the ball bounce off the floor, to the backboard, and finally into his hand as he flew towards the rim in the classic “Air Jordan” pose. The attempt clangs off the back of the rim, leaving Jordan to throw-down an “easy” self-bounce 360 that fails to inspire.

Jordan’s first dunk of the second round is still regarded as Dunk Contest royalty, as he jumped from the free-throw line as only Michael could; while making it look easy. He one-hand, double-clutched the ball and barely breaks a sweat as Jordan again makes the superhuman look simple.

Next, he pulled off another air-walking swooping dunk showcasing his hang-time, elevation, and creativity. The dunk looks even more incredible on slow-motion replay from the reverse angle, as you can really see how high Jordan reached on his jump.

The next dunk from Jordan is a leaning, pumping, floating masterpiece that seems to catch the announcers off-guard. They’re mundanely going over the scores for the event as Jordan’s dunk pulls them out of the funk with an emphatic “whoa!”

Jordan dunks the ball with so much grace and ease that they can only truly be appreciated via slow-motion replay. Real-time just can’t do his deeds justice.

His final three dunks included a twisting, windmilling 180-degree slam, a spread-eagle double-clutch that showed off his gripping ability, and a near repeat of the final dunk from round two.

Mike earns the 1987 title, his nickname “Air Jordan”, and the number five spot on our list with this performance for the ages.