NBA Slam Dunk Contest winners & full history

Through the highest of highs and lowest of lows, the NBA (insert sponsor) Slam Dunk contest has seen everything in its 40+ year history. From players being limited to dunking within a certain period to only having a certain amount of attempts, to the 2014 edition where someone had the genius (not) idea of making it East vs West, the contest has gone through many evolutions. Some role players have made a name for themselves in this competition, while star players (hello LeBron James) have avoided it altogether. Is it for extra rest or to save themselves from possible embarrassment? Who knows.

But, one thing is for certain: the greatness of the competition has always been limited to the dunker's creativity. While with the passing of time the quality of the dunks has gone down (law of diminishing returns), it's still an entertaining watch as the main event of All-Star Saturday Night. If nothing else, it's intriguing to see what new maneuver a competitor invents, or what they decide to dunk over.

History of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest

The contest was an invention of the ABA, known as the league for flashy plays over the NBA at the time. The first one was held in 1976, which Julius Erving won. The next year, after the ABA-NBA merger, the league brought back the dunk after a 10-year ban and held a Dunk Contest throughout the season. The contest was won by Darnell Hillman, but he only received his trophy a couple of years ago.

The league officially brought in the Dunk Contest as a permament, annual competition during the 1984 All-Star weekend, which Larry Nance won that one. Since then, even with the Three-Point Contest growing in popularity, the Dunk Contest still goes last on Saturdays, and has featured some memorable moments throughout the years: the original duel between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter ending the competition, Nate Robinson defying the odds, to Blake Griffin jumping over a car. While the Three-Point contest might be the most entertaining, the Dunk Contest always has the most potential to be the best.

Past Dunk Contest winners (and location):

• 1976 (Denver): Julius Erving
• 1977 (everywhere lol): Darnell Hillman
• 1984 (Denver): Larry Nance
• 1985 (Indianapolis): Dominique Wilkins
• 1986 (Dallas): Spud Webb
• 1987 (Seattle): Michael Jordan
• 1988 (Chicago): Michael Jordan
• 1989 (Houston): Kenny Walker
• 1990 (Miami): Dominique Wilkins
• 1991 (Charlotte): Dee Brown
• 1992 (Orlando): Cedric Ceballos
• 1993 (Salt Lake City): Harold Miner
• 1994 (Minnesota): Isiah Rider
• 1995 (Phoenix): Harold Miner
• 1996 (San Antonio): Brent Barry
• 1997 (Cleveland): Kobe Bryant
• 2000 (Oakland): Vince Carter
• 2001 (Washington, D.C.): Desmond Mason
• 2002 (Philadelphia): Jason Richardson
• 2003 (Atlanta): Jason Richardson
• 2004 (Los Angeles): Fred Jones
• 2005 (Denver): Josh Smith
• 2006 (Houston): Nate Robinson
• 2007 (Las Vegas): Gerald Green
• 2008 (New Orleans): Dwight Howard
• 2009 (Phoenix): Nate Robinson
• 2010 (Dallas): Nate Robinson
• 2011 (Los Angeles): Blake Griffin
• 2012 (Orlando): Jeremy Evans
• 2013 (Houston): Terrence Ross
• 2014 (New Orleans): East; John Wall was "Dunker of the Night"
• 2015 (New York): Zach LaVine
• 2016 (Toronto): Zach LaVine
• 2017 (New Orleans): Glenn Robinson III
• 2018 (Los Angeles): Donovan Mitchell
• 2019 (Charlotte): Hamidou Diallo
• 2020 (Chicago): Derrick Jones Jr
• 2021 (Atlanta): Anfernee Simons
• 2022 (Cleveland): Obi Toppin
• 2023 (Utah): Mac McClung