The Top Ten REALLY Lost Dunks of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest

[Rake2204]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oes7nrQcPk

A lot of these are flawed or at least rightfully second tier, but for fans of the contest, some of these tend to fly under the radar and still have something to offer.

[#number6ix#]

Rick Davis reverse between dunk was sweet and original... its a shame he had to go after Vince Carter even tho Vince's dunk wasn't all that... Also Jerome keresy dunk was awesome as well

[HomieWeMajor]

Skywalker's winning dunk in 89 is Top 3 dunk contest dunk OAT

[fpliii]

The two-handed windmill was nice.

[pauk]

There was a dunk which Shawn Kemp did where he threw a long bounce pass alley oop from halfcourt ending up with the most ridicilous "normal" windmill i ever seen, his head was above the rim, snatched the ball and really swung it cleanly around with completely straight hands bringing it from his legs and then *BAM!!!!*, better than any windmill from Dominique as far as i remember, i think this was in 1991, he got a 50 and then that was it, it got completely lost from any type of recognition for some mythical reason..... cant even find it on youtube....

[alexd]

and robert pack s 360 was really nice.a 360 is not an easy thing to do.especially if you put power in it too

[Rake2204]

There was a dunk which Shawn Kemp did where he threw a long bounce pass alley oop from halfcourt ending up with the most ridicilous "normal" windmill i ever seen, his head was above the rim, snatched the ball and really swung it cleanly around with completely straight hands bringing it from his legs and then *BAM!!!!*, better than any windmill from Dominique as far as i remember, i think this was in 1991, he got a 50 and then that was it, it got completely lost from any type of recognition for some mythical reason..... cant even find it on youtube....You could be thinking of 1991. Here's his bounce windmill from that contest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsXa4TSuWCw#t=0m35s. It was solid, but I wasn't as big of a fan of the windmills that tended to splay outward and come from the side.

Considering your description, you might be thinking of the 1990 contest, where Kemp missed a huge bounce windmill, then came back and finished the slam proper while his miss was still being replayed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FX69F05Xb0. Don't worry, TNT never showed a replay of the make, instead opting to point the camera at Kemp for an uncomfortable period of time while he sat in a chair.

That said, no one was really pulling 50's in the 90's. Once they switched over to their tenths-of-a-point system, perfect scores were scarce. In fact, they were pretty rare before that system was implemented too. I think I was watching Cedric Ceballos' 1992 contest and incredibly, his final dunk received a 50. At the time, I believe they said it was just the eighth 50 in contest history up to that point. That would be in contrast to present day, where they're handed out like candy.

[pauk]

You could be thinking of 1991. Here's his bounce windmill from that contest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsXa4TSuWCw#t=0m35s. It was solid, but I wasn't as big of a fan of the windmills that tended to splay outward and come from the side.

Considering your description, you might be thinking of the 1990 contest, where Kemp missed a huge bounce windmill, then came back and finished the slam proper while his miss was still being replayed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FX69F05Xb0. Don't worry, TNT never showed a replay of the make, instead opting to point the camera at Kemp for an uncomfortable period of time while he sat in a chair.

That said, no one was really pulling 50's in the 90's. Once they switched over to their tenths-of-a-point system, perfect scores were scarce. In fact, they were pretty rare before that system was implemented too. I think I was watching Cedric Ceballos' 1992 contest and incredibly, his final dunk received a 50. At the time, I believe they said it was just the eighth 50 in contest history up to that point. That would be in contrast to present day, where they're handed out like candy.

Awesome, thanks for that Rake, thats the one in 1990! I was just a toddler back then but i remembered it somewhat, but now thanks to you i remember it all, including that they didnt even show/replay the dunk, did never actually see it lol.... i just could imagine how it looked like considering his misses on the same attempt, all you could then see/hear was *BOOM!* and 1% of footage from the dunk and thats it.... damn shame... perhaps thats the reason behind lack of footage from that dunk, there really was no other camera running? :(

[ProfessorMurder]

Larry Johnson got robbed because of the weird rule changes that the guys didn't know about until right before the contest.

[Rake2204]

Larry Johnson got robbed because of the weird rule changes that the guys didn't know about until right before the contest.Merely out of honest curiosity, to what rule change may you be referring?

[SHAQisGOAT]

Some nice gems there.

Orlando Woolridge is probably the most underrated dunker ever. First to do a between-the-legs in the dunk contest (credited to Isaiah Rider a lot which is false) although he didn't put much emphasis into it because back then basketball wasn't much like that, and he was turning people into posters time and time again.

[G-train]

WOW WEE - Larry Johnson winner of the genetic lottery!
That was more than a dunk, it was a violation of the basic rules of human decency, one of the true marvels, not just of basketball, or in America, but in the history of Western Civilization!

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Kenny Smith had crazy hops for a PG.

That Davis dunk is close to JRich's 2-3 years later that won the contest.

And some of these dunks show the importance of the dunker's stylistic approach. The extra flair really can separate a good dunk from a great dunk, even if it's technically the same dunk.

[ProfessorMurder]

Merely out of honest curiosity, to what rule change may you be referring?

I haven't watched in a few years but it was something about you only got one miss per round. So if you missed a dunk you're basically f*cked.

Maybe it wasn't a rule change for that year, but I feel like it was.


LJ had the best dunks that year by far, but one in the finals wasn't counted merely because he missed once.

[Rake2204]

I haven't watched in a few years but it was something about you only got one miss per round. So if you missed a dunk you're basically f*cked.

Maybe it wasn't a rule change for that year, but I feel like it was.


LJ had the best dunks that year by far, but one in the finals wasn't counted merely because he missed once.Ah, gotcha. I agree, I think Johnson probably turned in the best dunks of that competition. If the winner was based upon overall performance, I think he would have won easily. However, he kind of shot himself in the foot in the finals. I'm not sure he finished any of his dunks, even with re-attempts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM_ZOgUG2HI

[Hoopz2332]

the funny thing is that these were considered contest dunks back then...most of these wouldn't get any OOOhhs if done today.

[jzek]

These dunkers are so bland. These are great dunks don't get me wrong but they don't add anything extra to it. Vince is the ultimate dunker because not only does he have the hops to do crazy dunks but he adds a lot of style to his dunks. You're getting two things from Vince at once. His showmanship is off the charts and that's what elevates his dunks to another level. His dunk could be just a 40 out of 50 but because of all the other extra stuff brings to his dunks... the creativity factor, style, etc... they get upped to like 45 or more.

These other guys dunk like robots. Vince dunks like a ballerina.

[Rake2204]

the funny thing is that these were considered contest dunks back then...most of these wouldn't get any OOOhhs if done today.I think it's a little bit of a trade-off at times. In the 80's, 90's and early 00's, some of the dunks may have been a little more bland but then again, players were making their dunks at a higher rate. As such, I believe the surprise and satisfaction factor was often higher for fans and judges, even if the final product pales to some current day attempts.

For instance, in 2013, we saw some great Eric Bledsoe dunks, but nearly all showmanship went out the window when he repeatedly failed on his attempts, tipping his hat to the crowd as to what was to be expected and thus deflating the flush in the process.

Also, in reference to the video itself, for being dunks that did not win contests and were not even included in TNT's Lost Dunks episode, these dunks are likely going to be second tier in some cases. Even then, I think a few of them translate to present day. A few of them didn't even get "Ooo's" back then, kind of similar to how Shannon Brown didn't get many ooo's in his bland showing.

[50_40_90_]

http://i.imgflip.com/44jb9.gif (http://imgflip.com/i/44jb9)


I always liked this dunk from Isaiah Rider because he threw the lob from almost half court... plus he nailed it on his first attempt:cheers:

[To4]

J Rich slam dunk contest is my all time favorite... not vince but J Rich

[CeltsGarlic]

Robert Pack dunk in lithuania (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txxdfiXnBM4)

I remember everyone went nuts after this one. It was game 7, about a minute left, we +7 erryone happy, and pack, being 35y.o, I think, delivered this beauty.. This was in the Finals. Good memories.

[Rake2204]

Robert Pack dunk in lithuania (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txxdfiXnBM4)

I remember everyone went nuts after this one. It was game 7, about a minute left, we +7 erryone happy, and pack, being 35y.o, I think, delivered this beauty.. This was in the Finals. Good memories.Pack is one of my primary dunking inspirations. Obviously I can't get up like him, but we have similar dunking styles in that he cannot palm a rock very well and we're both "run up fast, jump off one foot, and try to one hand dunk through someone" types of finishers. It was encouraging to see he was still elevating at age 35.


http://i.imgflip.com/44jb9.gif (http://imgflip.com/i/44jb9)


I always liked this dunk from Isaiah Rider because he threw the lob from almost half court... plus he nailed it on his first attempt:cheers:Isaiah Rider's entire showing is one of the greatest performances I've seen in an NBA dunk contest. It's shame his contest is defined by the Eastbay Funk. He had everything working. Even his misses were spectacular.

Also, his swag was off the charts. The NBA went through a couple of years of letting players choose their own music for their routines and Rider just absolutely nailed it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RiBk2hsPF8

[East_Stone_Ya]

first two dunks in the video below are pretty impressive imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyovcJZzFgU

[Rake2204]

first two dunks in the video below are pretty impressive imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyovcJZzFgUThe second one was definitely nice. I wish there was longer footage of that one. Seems like something by which Kadour Ziani could have been influenced.