Perhaps the creative component, capable of making people laugh and marvel, has been lost in recent editions of this yearly spectacle of athletics and ingenuity. The Slam Dunk Contest, like the rest of the All-Star Weekend, is a product of American entertainment that continues to fascinate us with its continual exaggerations.
We have retraced those ten dunks that most express the spirit of complete craziness, of the most unfathomable absurdity, as part of the Slam Dunk.
"3 balls at once" Dunk - JaVale McGee (2011)
It's a little strange to watch McGee doing something other than Shaqtin' a Fool. It was the year 2011, and Blake Griffin and our darling JaVale were competing in the Slam Dunk Contest at the Staples Center.
Many people recall Griffin resolving the debate in his favor with the much-discussed dunk, which he accomplished by leaping over a Kia parked under the hoop.
Few recall that McGee, who set a Guinness World Record that night by throwing three (3) basketballs in the basket with a single slam, should have won instead. Griffin didn't even blow the whole car, just the (lower) half of the hood, thus JaVale would have earned better luck.
Tip-Slam Dunk - Dwight Howard (2008)
With a succession of incredible dunks, Dwight Howard earned the nickname "Superman," but arguably the most bizarre of them was when he stunned the audience by slamming the ball into the basket after nimbly bouncing it off the table and recovering it with equal ease with the other hand.
Howard, as a true athletic freak, demonstrated to the world in 2008 that he was quite familiar with the "power" solution and would easily win the Slam Dunk Contest.
Fans Alley-oop Dunk - Fred Jones (2004)
Jones sank a game-changing alley-oop to put the competition on notice and provide the fan in question a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Pressure typically plays enormous pranks in these situations, and this one was no exception.
Our unwitting acquaintance in a Pacers tank top (Jones's) made two of the worst parquet blunders imaginable, condemning Fred to a double blunder. What might have been a game-changing dunk ends up being a massive flop? According to legend, the poor fan never returned to the arena. Jones would still win the Slam Dunk Contest that year. Creativity was most likely admired.
Behind the backboard dunk - Andre Iguodala (2006)
With the money ball in his hands, Iguodala begged his dear friend Allen Iverson to lift a lob to go and crush from behind the board in the 2006 Slam Dunk Contest. It might appear straightforward, but it was not.
Andre Iguodala's gesture will live on in the minds of many other dunkers for years to come, to the point where Dwight Howard and Victor Oladipo will perform their versions.
That year, however, a goblin named Nate Robinson (the only player to win the Slam Dunk Contest three times) was ready to rob Iggy of the satisfaction of winning the trophy, leaving the Golden State Warriors' player at zero.
Double-clutch Dunk - Spud Webb (Slam Dunk Contest 1986)
170 cm tall, with a strong urge to smash like the rest. Spud Webb, an example of how elevation is possibly even more crucial than height in allowing a player to reach the basket and crush the ball inside it, should be worshiped by everybody who wants to hit even if he is not a parquet giant.
Before Nate Robinson, there was Spud Webb, a pioneer of a certain style of crushing that would go on to be so successful in following Slam Dunk Contests. He'll be the one to win the third edition of this challenge by battling and defeating Dominique Wilkins, a holy monster of dunks.
Cupcake Dunk - Gerald Green (2008)
You'd be shocked at what Gerald Green has managed. He had the breath not only to go crush it and switch it off in the meanwhile by placing a cupcake with a special candle on the support base of the iron but also the lucidity to do so with an amazing speed of execution by placing a cupcake with a special candle on the support base of the iron.
Perhaps the notion of a player who is as silly as he is magnificent will be remembered here, rather than the dunk itself. That year, Howard would win, but we'd like to see sportsmen who can entertain with humorous dunks and who don't take themselves too seriously.
Sticker Dunk - Dwight Howard (2008)
Howard's back! This dunk is undeniably fantastic, and it is frequently overlooked. Beyond the obvious execution, Howard's ability to touch a particular sticker attached 13 feet high, roughly 4 meters, with his hand not engaged by the ball is ludicrous. The sticker reads, "All things through Christ! Phil."
Steph Curry has revealed himself to be a fan of biblical verses from the letters to the Philippians, particularly in the quote "I can do all things" from the letters to the Romans, which was present on his shoes as early as 2012. He did not win this year's Slam Dunk Contest, but the following year's.
Teddy Bear Dunk - Serge Ibaka (2011)
At the Staples Center in Los Angeles, a toddler lost his beloved toy, which was hanging from the basket and could only be retrieved by Serge Ibaka.
The naturalized Spanish Congolese basketball player chose to blend business and pleasure by catching the teddy bear on the fly (with his lips) and forcefully crushing it (earning 45 points from the judges). He was even happier than the child himself.
Unfortunately, Blake Griffin would be hosting the Slam Dunk Contest after the games. But we can't dispute that the excellent Serge made us laugh and, why not, return to our childhood selves.
Steve-to-Amar'e - Amar'e Stoudemire (2005)
You've probably heard of Steve Nash's football abilities, which range from dribbling basketballs to running "clocks" on the field between timeouts. Stoudemire, who spent most of his career with Nash, has always been aware of his partner's unique attributes and did not hesitate to use them to personalize his dunk in the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest.
Table rebound, Nash's header, and Amar'e power finish. When football and basketball collide, the Slam Dunk Contest can result in the bizarre, but also the enjoyable realm of crazy.
Blindfolded Dunk - Cedric Ceballos (1992)
We'd go so far as to say it's an ugly dunk. The 1992 Slam Dunk Contest is noted not so much for a dunk from a simple execution, but for Cedric Ceballos' decision to do so blindfolded, from a significant distance from the basket (if we consider the coefficient of difficulty of not being able to rely on his own eyes). Ceballos would get the perfect score of 50 points with this crazy gimmick, which was required to win the competition.
