NBA Slam Dunk Contest participants, history, champions
By Ian Levy
In many ways, the NBA Slam Dunk Contest is the premier event of NBA All-Star Weekend. Here’s everything you need to know about its history and this year’s event.
This year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest field is lacking big names but history shows us that doesn’t really mean anything. Some of the most exciting events from NBA All-Star Weekends past have included participants who weren’t household names. Here’s who will be dunking this year and how they might measure up to history.
2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest competitors
Jericho Sims, New York Knicks
Sims was chosen as a replacement for rookie Shaedon Sharpe after Sharpe backed out of his commitment to participate. Sims is in his second season in the NBA and played his college ball at Texas and he certainly has the hops to make this interesting.
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
Murphy has made himself a consistent part of the Pelicans rotation in his second season, mostly with his precise outside shooting. But he can also throw down and may have sealed his invite with a pair of monstrous throwdowns on Nikola Jokic’s head earlier this season.
Kenyon Martin Jr., Houston Rockets
Martin is the son of Kenyon Martin, one of the most electric dunkers in NBA history. He doesn’t quite have his dad’s size or wing span but he certainly has his vertical explosion and complete lack of fear when attacking the basket.
Max McClung, Delaware Blue Coats
McClung is a wild card as the first-ever participant who is currently in the G League. McClung is just 6-foot-2 but his legendary leaping ability is what first put him on NBA radars when he was still in high school.
NBA Slam Dunk Contest past winners
- 1976 — Julius Erving
- 1977 — Darnell Hillman
- 1984 — Larry Nance
- 1985 — Dominique Wilkins
- 1986 — Spud Webb
- 1987 — Michael Jordan
- 1988 — Michael Jordan
- 1989 — Kenny Walker
- 1990 — Dominique Wilkins
- 1991 — Dee Brown
- 1992 — Cedric Ceballos
- 1993 — Harold Miner
- 1994 — Isaiah Rider
- 1995 — Harold Miner
- 1996 — Brent Barry
- 1997 — Kobe Bryant
- 1998 — Replaced by NBA 2-Ball Competition
- 1999 — Canceled due to lockout
- 2000 — Vince Carter
- 2001 — Desmond Mason
- 2002 — Jason Richardson
- 2003 — Jason Richardson
- 2004 — Fred Jones
- 2005 — Josh Smith
- 2006 — Nate Robinson
- 2007 — Gerald Green
- 2008 — Dwight Howard
- 2009 — Nate Robinson
- 2010 — Nate Robinson
- 2011 — Blake Griffin
- 2012 — Jeremy Evans
- 2013 — Terrence Ross
- 2014 — John Wall
- 2015 — Zach LaVine
- 2016 — Zach LaVine
- 2017 — Glenn Robinson III
- 2018 — Donovan Mitchell
- 2019 — Hamidou Diallo
- 2020 — Derrick Jones Jr.
- 2021 — Anfernee Simons
- 2022 — Obi Toppin
NBA Slam Dunk Contest history
Twists and turns: The NBA Dunk Contest has been on the edge of disappearing multiple times over the years. The Over and Back NBA podcast looked back at eight key moments from the history of the contest, when it was brought back from the brink.
The things they jumped over: Over the years, Slam Dunk contest participants have increasingly looked to differentiate themselves by jumping over things. Todd Whitehead cataloged the complete history of “dunking over things” in the contest, including teammates, random people, mascots, DJ Khaled’s turntables, motorcycles a Kia and more.
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