Top 10 power dunks of the 2021-22 NBA season

The NBA’s regular season has come and gone, but an important question remains: What are the top 10 power dunks of the 2021-22 season?

The NBA’s 75th Anniversary regular season commenced on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, and concluded on Sunday, April 10, 2022. The season featured 1,230 regular-season games across those six months. According to Basketball-Reference, there were 11,111 dunks recorded. (That number might look made up, but feel free to double-check.)

Not every one of those dunks was a power dunk, but these are the top 10 power dunks of the 2021-22 NBA regular season

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10.  Alex Caruso — Nov. 27, 2021

It’s the 30th Anniversary of the iconic basketball movie White Men Can’t Jump, which is very fitting since our first dunk here is Alex Caruso.

It’s late November in Chicago, the Saturday after Black Friday and Thanksgiving.

Caruso drops a bounce pass into the post to Nikola Vucevic and then cuts down the lane, slipping right past Bam Adebayo. Vooch returns the favor by dropping in a bounce pass to the cutting Caruso, who receives the pass and rises up on P.J. Tucker. Caruso sends it home right on top of Tucker, catching the rim in the process for a glorious rim-rattling sound that adds extra emphasis, as does the foul call. Caruso flexes a little and performs his signature headband celebration. The home crowd is very much delighted with a lot of head-tapping.

The call from fill-in Bulls play-by-play man Jason Benetti is great: “Oh goodness gracious! Don’t do it to the rim!”

And the always hilarious Stacey King adds: “P.J. TUCKER. Get up or get out the way! WOO!!”

On the replay, the sound of the attack on the rim is even more glorious. And the dunk was so fierce that as Caruso steps to the free-throw line, the Chicago crowd chants “MVP!”

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9.  De’Anthony Melton — March 15, 2022

The Pacers, down by 32 points late in the third quarter of a mid-March blowout against the Grizzlies, send a double-team trap at Desmond Bane as he crosses half-court. Bane passes the ball right through the oncoming double-team to Kyle Anderson, who passes the rock back over to De’Anthony Melton. The Pacers are scrambling. Melton sees an opportunity. He takes two dribbles down the lane and no Pacers want any part of what’s happening next.

Melton takes off of two feet, kicks those feet back and cranks the hammer ALL the way back. No Pacers wanted to be involved, but Melton sledgehammers home the power dunk with a vengeance on top of the entire state of Indiana. He fully grabs the rim on the way down, leaving the goal shaking and the Grizzlies bench feeling some type of way. JJJ spills into the floor. Dillon Brooks taps his head. Ja Morant gets up and walks towards Melton before eventually going nowhere in particular. Steven Adams lets out a yell. Melton himself raises the roof.

The call is pretty funny. We get a “Meltonnnnnn!” and then a quick and giddy, “Wow!” from Brevin Knight and Pete Pranica, followed by some laughter and an, “Oh my goodness.” The replay gets the, “Hammer. Nail. Coffin.” treatment.

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8.  Jayson Tatum — April 4, 2022

It’s April Fool’s, and the joke (power dunk) is on the Pacers once again.

Jayson Tatum brings the ball up the court, slides by a Daniel Theis screen, drives past Isaiah Jackson and a reaching Buddy Heild to meet a fourth Pacer, Jalen Smith, in front of the hoop. Tatum glides up and around Smith’s outstretched arm and brings down a thunderous slam with an extreme attack on the rim and punctuating sound that leaves you wondering if he was trying to rip down the goal.

Brian Scalabrine yells, “Oh, my goodness!” as the TD Garden roars in grand approval and the PA announcer lets out a long “Jayyyyyyyy Teeeeeeeeee.”

Tatum walks back up the court slowly, stoic and serene. Scalabrine adds, “On.. Your head.”

The replays are bliss, showing the fantastic poster finish in slow-motion right on top of Smith.

Play-by-play man Mike Gorman adds, “Like a pinball machine by each of the Pacers.”

A Pacer pinball machine power dunk, indeed.

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7.  Jalen Green — March 28, 2022

In the second quarter of a late-March contest between the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, the ball is inbounded to Jalen Green on the right wing. Josh Christopher sets a pseudo screen that Keldon Johnson fights over top of, but Green puts on the jets, leaving both Johnson and Josh Primo in the dust. Green makes it past a reaching Devin Vassell as well, and the last line of defense, Jakob Poeltl, moves up to attempt a block. Poeltl doesn’t even get a chance, because Green already has the high ground, elevating and knocking Poeltl backward. Green detonates a fully cranked back sledgehammer, leaving Rockets announcers Craig Ackerman and Ryan Hollins in a tizzy.

Ackerman yells, “OH!!” several times while we get “Oh, my goodness!” and “Stop it! Stop it!!” with a bunch of laughter from Hollins.

Prior to the dunk, Hollins had asked Ackerman what he was doing when these young Rockets players were born 20 years ago, and Hollins proceeded to guess that Ackerman was somewhere in a dorm room with a full head of hair. Ackerman assures Hollins that he was not in a dorm room, he was working for the Rockets. So that’s why Hollins adds, “Jalen Green ain’t seen a dorm room, but he’s seen a slam dunk!”

The replays are wonderful, especially the last one that shows the priceless reaction on the face of Christian Wood and several fans sitting courtside as they jump out of their seats in jubilation.

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6.  Lauri Markkanen — Oct. 25, 2021

What’s remarkable about this dunk from way back in late October is that it happened in the first minute of the game. It was also the first basket of the entire game. And what a basket it was.

Lauri Markkanen brings the ball up the court with his long arms. He slows up as he gets to the 3-point line which seems odd at first, but then you realize that he’s preparing to take off with very long strides. Who is between him and the hoop? The reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic, who acts like he is going to take a charge. But Markkanen is going up and over that nonsense. He YAMS the ball down and catches the rim while sending Jokic backward into the floor. Markkanen stares down the MVP as Garland flaps his hands up in the air.

The call from Cavs play-by-man John Michael is splendid: “Oh, MERCY! Markkanen went coast-to-coast!”

And a simple but highly effective, “YES!” from Austin Carr.

The power dunk would not be complete without Carr adding on the replay, “Throw the hammer down!”

There really might not be a more highly effective way to send a message to the home crowd when you are on the road.

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5.  Russell Westbrook — Jan. 17, 2022

A few minutes before this MLK Day dunk, Russell Westbrook grabbed a mop to help clean up a spilled drink on the court. The arena formerly known as Staples Center crescendoed in gleeful applause. There were jokes that it was the loudest that Lakers fans had cheered Westbrook all season. (Russell Westbrook really needed this power dunk.)

Westbrook has the ball at the top of the key and drives downhill after a pseudo screen from LeBron. Russ charges straight at Gobert, who is the only thing standing between him and the rim, albeit the only thing being a 7-foot-1 Frenchman, who just so happens to be a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Westbrook is undaunted by The Stifle Tower standing in his path. He takes flight from the dotted line and he’s already got the tomahawk reared back before Gobert can even get up to contest. Westbrook keeps climbing. He’s ALL over Gobert when the tomahawk is unleashed on the rim, letting out all of his frustrations on one play.

Russ stares down Gobert while flexing and talking some trash. Westbrook gets a technical foul for taunting, but it was worth it.

It’s a classic Bill Macdonald call: “Russ!! Throw it down! Throw it down, Russ!! Down the middle he goes.”

After the dunk, Bill also lets out a “Woo!”

On the replay, Stu Lantz calls it, “A monster dunk by Westbrook.”

And there isn’t much doubt that THIS is the real moment in which Laker fans cheered Westbrook the loudest.

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4. Christian Wood — Dec. 22, 2021

Christian Wood passes the rock over to Eric Gordon and slips right through a pseudo screen that Jrue Holiday and DeMarcus Cousins both bite on. Gordon sends a bounce pass back into Wood, who goes right into lift-off. He jumps off of two feet and pulls back the two-handed SLAMMA JAMMA that is brought down right on poor Jordan Nwora. Wood attacks the rim with severe vigor, leaving the goal shaking like a leaf. Wood yells as he lets go of the rim. He struts around with a flex and a serious look that says he means all business tonight. (The Rockets would lose by 20.)

The sound of the dunk with the rim shooting back up is tremendous. As is the genuine and in sync, “OH MY!” from Craig Ackerman and Ryan Hollins. On the replay, Hollins delivers a nice, “PI-YOW” and says, “You’re going to see that one again.”

He was right.

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3.  Davion Mitchell — Mar. 30, 2022

Sacramento Kings’ play-by-play man Mark Jones is in the middle of a story about Davion Mitchell during the first quarter of a late-March Kings-Rockets game, and Mitchell’s ears must have been burning.

Damian Jones sets a screen for Mitchell, who crosses left to get past the defending Usman Garuba. Mitchell then skies up from the dotted line with Garuba still on him and KJ Martin sliding over to contest. But the 6-foot-2 Mitchell is too fast and furious for the two Rockets. His legs are kicked all the way back and the dunk is a rim-rocking flying hammer with a quick and fierce attack on the rim.

The Kings’ bench springs up with some head-tapping. Mitchell stares over at them and flexes, knowing exactly what he just did. He even gets a high-five from an assistant coach while the Kings’ bench is full of smiles and even with some hugging. Jeremy Lamb has a goofy smile on his face while he continually raises the roof.

Mark Jones on the call in the middle of that story about Mitchell is fabulous: “Basically, [Kyle] Lowry said, ‘Hey, you’re doing a great job. Stay in the gym, keep at it. Keep chopping wood.’” “OHH! He took some SOULS! OH! He took some bodies!!”

There was so much power on this one that the replay shows a fan who has to get up out of his seat and leave.

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2. Juan Toscano-Anderson — Dec. 3, 2021

It’s an early December Friday night between the NBA’s current top-2 teams, the 19-3 Warriors and the 19-4 Suns.

Juan Toscano-Anderson passes the rock to Otto Porter Jr. before falling down at mid-court with Mikal Bridges. OPJ takes two dribbles and sends in a bounce pass to Draymond Green in the post. Juan T. is back up and sprinting down the lane as Mikal Bridges is slow to get up from their half-court spill. Draymond wastes no time and flips a pass to Juan T., who catches the pass and goes right into takeoff, rising up on JaVale McGee. JaVale tries to contest, but he doesn’t stand a chance as Juan T. stifles him with his left hand while continuing to rise up and pull the ball in his right hand WAY back. JaVale is able to get a hand up but Juan T. is too high, going up and over JaVale and SLAMMING home the dunk with an absolutely vicious attack on the rim.

Juan T. flexes a little, but he mostly looks around confused, like he’s making sure that really happened.

On the call, ESPN play-by-play man Ryan Ruocco was in the middle of talking about NBA official Tony Brown (who had just returned to work for the first time since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer), so we don’t get a true boisterous announcer reaction on the dunk, but it is nice that Ruocco says, “Toscano-Anderson wanted to honor Tony with an emphatic throw down.”

On the replay, Ruocco is correct in saying, “Well, there are thunderous dunks and then there is this.” Mark Jackson, too: “This is spectacular. That’s over a legitimate big-time shot-blocker and rim-protector.”

1b. Ant-Man — Nov. 24, 2021

The thing about this insane power dunk by Anthony Edwards is that it didn’t actually count. They wrongfully called it a charge. But it sure counts in our book, just like Jamal Murray’s decimation of D.J. Wilson on March 9, 2020, a few nights before the league’s Corona shutdown.

It’s Thanksgiving Eve, and Ant-Man darts backdoor behind Duncan Robinson, leaving Robinson in the dust. D-Lo delivers a pristine bounce pass that Ant-Man catches in stride, and he immediately lifts off from basically outside the paint. He FLIES up and CRANKS it back with his nuts in Gabe Vincent’s face. The booming, pulverizing dunk has a magnificent sound as he catches the rim with full authority. Vincent is down on the ground in shambles. Ant-Man stands over him, staring down at his wounded prey.

“Anthony Edwards showing that ANTS. CAN. KILL!” is the superb call from Dave Benz. But then we realize that the refs are calling it a charge on our beloved Anthony Edwards. A let down of epic proportions.

The replay shows even further evidence that Ant-Man completely annihilated Gabe Vincent.

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1a. Ja Morant — Feb. 28, 2022

The allure of almost landing the big one had been there. Ja Morant was very close to putting both Anthony Davis and Kevin Love on all-time posters, but those dunks didn’t go down. However, on February 28, 2022, Ja finally landed the big one.

Ja catches the pass at half court and skirts quickly past Josh Primo, leaving Jakob Poeltl as the only thing between Ja and the hoop. (Keita Bates-Diop is sort of there, but he didn’t really want any part of it and Ja doesn’t even acknowledge him.)

One dribble into gathering the ball and Ja is already rising up from practically outside the paint. Poeltl tries to go up, but Ja has a thousand upper hands on him, knocking Poeltl backward while cocking the ball ALL the way back for total detonation. He’s still soaring up as he begins twisting to throw the ferocious hammer down with the fury of Thor himself.

The dunk is an explosion that IGNITES the crowd into an all-out frenzy. Announcer Pete Pranica loses his mind. “Ohhhhh!!! HOLY COW! That is unbelievable!!” Ja is as unfazed as he is reticent. He just looks around at the wake of his destruction. He’s already ready for the next one.

The fans are ecstatic as they are incredulous. Molly Morrison’s dad puts his hands behind his head and has to turn all the way around, he can’t look at the horrific scene of the car crash for another second. The Grizzlies bench is all over the place. Somebody is repeatedly jumping up and down while some guys have spilled into the floor. They hold each other back and cackle like they have never cackled before.

The replay is the first time that we hear Brevin Knight who was rendered speechless as it happened live. He says, “Oh my gosh,” through gritted teeth. Then he laughs like a giddy owl. “Hoo hoo hoo!!” Then Knight says, “Look at this, PARTNER!” and he puts himself in Ja Morant’s shoes, “‘Take an elbow sandwich as I get to the rim.’”

And Pete Pranica closes it out: “As the kids say: ‘He caught a body.’”

Not only did he catch a body, but Ja would go on to score a career-high and franchise-record 52 points that night, including an astonishing buzzer-beating alley-oop shot before halftime from a Steven Adams full-court pass, happening only a couple of minutes after this dunk from which the crowd was still buzzing.

That’s when we had to declare: The Legend of Ja Morant doesn’t just grow by the day. The Legend of Ja Morant grows by the quarter.