1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest The first-ever Slam Dunk Contest was held on January 27, 1976, at
McNichols Sports Arena in
Denver during halftime of the
1976 ABA All-Star Game, the league's final All-Star game before the completion of the
ABA–NBA merger. In
Remember the ABA, Jim Bukata recalled, "We were sitting around the office one day, discussing things that would draw more people, and it just came to us…It was Julius [Erving] really giving us the idea that we're the league of the dunkers. So we said, 'Well if that's the case, let's have a contest.' It really was as simple as that. …Three guys talking about what we could do to sell a few more tickets." Bukata was the director of marketing and public relations for the ABA. There was a format each competitor had to follow in which they must attempt five dunks in a row under two minutes, with the clock stopping after each shot to allow the player to plan their next attempt. That year, NBA held its first Slam Dunk Contest as a one-off, season-long event similar to NBA Horse event held
the following season. During halftime at each game, there was a one-on-one slam dunk competition. There were 22 competitors at multiple venues throughout the event—one for each team at the league—including future Hall of Famers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Alex English,
Julius Erving,
George Gervin,
Elvin Hayes,
Moses Malone, and
David Thompson.
1990s In 1990,
Dominique Wilkins of the
Atlanta Hawks edged out
Kenny Smith of the
Sacramento Kings to win his second Slam Dunk Contest. He first won it in 1985 over
Michael Jordan. Smith scored high points for originality with his signature dunk—he started by turning his back to the basket, bouncing the ball backward between his legs and off the backboard, then turning and grabbing it in the air and reverse dunking it. As the 1990s progressed, stars such as Jordan, Wilkins and Drexler sometimes declined to participate and were replaced by less-known players.
Harold Miner was a standout in 1993, winning the contest with a reverse power dunk, reaching between his legs and down to his feet in mid-air before sending the ball down. In 1994 and 1997 respectively,
Isaiah Rider and
Kobe Bryant won the contest. The next four contests did not feature superstars like Carter and Bryant, and despite innovative efforts by the likes of
Desmond Mason and
Jason Richardson, the lack of A-list superstars willing to participate hurt the appeal of the contest. In
2005, the Slam Dunk Contest returned to its birthplace in Denver. With the spectacular dunks of prior contests, there was buzz that the dunk competition could regain the popularity it had in the 1980s. The
Phoenix Suns'
Amar'e Stoudemire alley-ooping 360 off a soccer-style header from teammate
Steve Nash;
J. R. Smith putting it around his back and dunking, and the new champion,
Josh Smith alley-ooping over Kenyon Martin all wowed the crowd with their maneuvers. With the change in the rules requiring an additional teammate starting in the second round, they proved there were indeed many ways to dunk a basketball that had not been done before. Amar'e Stoudemire received rave reviews, as did Smith when he did a tribute dunk to
Dominique Wilkins while donning Wilkins' jersey. Again in 2006, the Dunk Contest in
Houston revitalized the interests of audiences as 5'9"
Nate Robinson of the
New York Knicks took the title with a great dunk-off. One of his most exciting dunks was a high-flying dunk over former Slam Dunk Contest winner, 5'7"
Spud Webb. The 2006 Slam Dunk Contest was also the first Dunk Contest in history to have a "Dunk Off", the equivalent to a Dunk Contest overtime, between Knicks point guard Nate Robinson and shooting guard
Andre Iguodala of the
Philadelphia 76ers. Many fans argue that Iguodala should have won the contest, as it took Robinson fourteen attempts before finally completing his dunk. Iguodala pulled off a dunk where he started out of bounds from the right side of the baseline while teammate
Allen Iverson bounced the ball off the back of the right side of the backboard. Iguodala caught the ball in mid-air behind the backboard, spun around to the other side while ducking his head (to avoid colliding with the backboard) and dunked it with his right hand. On February 17, 2007, the contest was held in
Las Vegas. Judges for the event were all past winners:
Michael Jordan,
Dominique Wilkins,
Kobe Bryant,
Julius Erving, and
Vince Carter. The title was taken by the
Boston Celtics'
Gerald Green, who, among other dunks, jumped over reigning champ
Nate Robinson while covering his face – a homage to 1991 winner,
Dee Brown, whose jersey Green had worn. He also scored a perfect fifty with his last slam, a windmill over a table. Other noteworthy dunks include a dunk by Orlando Magic center
Dwight Howard, who, while making his dunk, stuck a sticker with his smiling face on the backboard a reported 12'6" from the ground, two and a half feet beyond the regulation NBA rim. On February 16, 2008, the contest was held in
New Orleans. Judges for the event included
Darryl Dawkins,
Dominique Wilkins,
Karl Malone,
Julius Erving, and
Magic Johnson. The title was taken by
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. Howard's most noteworthy dunk came during the first round, his second dunk overall, when he took off his jersey to reveal a
Superman shirt and cape. With teammate
Jameer Nelson's assistance he would make a leaping dunk from just in front of the free-throw line after a running start, throwing the ball through the rim from a few feet away. Other noteworthy dunks included the first round slam by
Jamario Moon while the previous year's winner,
Gerald Green, relied heavily on theatrics by blowing out a cupcake with a birthday candle on the rim before dunking (a jam he termed "The Birthday Cake"). For the first time ever, fan voting determined the outcome of the final round of the contest; Howard beat Green for the trophy by claiming 78% of the fans' votes.
Nate Robinson won the 2009 contest on February 14 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Zach LaVine won the 2016 slam dunk contest with dunks from a windmill from the free throw line to a between-the-legs reverse dunk. Aaron Gordon (runner-up) of the
Orlando Magic, Will Barton of the
Denver Nuggets and Andre Drummond of the
Detroit Pistons also competed. Gordon competed in the 2017 contest against the Clippers’
DeAndre Jordan, Indiana's
Glen Robinson III and Phoenix rookie forward
Derrick Jones Jr. Gordon and Jordan did not make it to the final round. Robinson III won the contest by dunking over Paul George, a Pacer cheerleader, and the Pacers' mascot, while Jones Jr. failed to make his first dunk in the final round. For the 2018 contest, Oladipo and Aaron Gordon were set to return to the contest, and were joined by
Larry Nance Jr. of the
Cleveland Cavaliers and
Dennis Smith Jr. of the
Dallas Mavericks. However, Gordon backed out due to an injury, and was replaced by Jazz rookie
Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell went on to win the contest by beating Nance Jr. in the final round. The 2019 contest featured
Hamidou Diallo, the returning Dennis Smith Jr.,
Miles Bridges, and
John Collins. Diallo had the most memorable dunk of the contest when in the first round he jumped over
Shaquille O'Neal and put his elbow through the rim. He went on to beat Smith Jr. in the final round to win the contest.
2020s The 2020 contest saw the return of Aaron Gordon, Dwight Howard, and Derrick Jones Jr along with
Pat Connaughton of the Bucks. It went down to a dunk-off between Gordon and Jones Jr. Gordon ended up losing despite jumping over 7'5"
Tacko Fall. In the 2021 contest, there were only three competitors, Portland's
Anfernee Simons, Knicks rookie
Obi Toppin, and
Cassius Stanley, on a two-way contract from the Pacers. Simons won the contest, in which he nearly kissed the rim on his final dunk. Toppin was able to win it the following year. From 2023 to 2025, the contest was won by
Mac McClung. == Slam Dunk Contest champions ==