Closest player to get to 2000 Vince carter dunk contest level

[wally_world]

Fred Jones duh

[Rake2204]

I think Vince Carter's 2000 contest had a few important things going for it:

1) At least 3 of Carter's 5 dunks had virtually never been seen before - his clockwise 360 windmill, his two-footed between-the-legs off the bounce, and his elbow dunk. Of his other two dunks, one wasn't new because he'd pretty much just invented it 10 minutes earlier (his second dunk was very similar to his first, only starting out of bounds off a small step-up) and the other he didn't complete how he wished (he wanted two-hands from the free throw line, was actually a slight step in, still unseen at that time).

2) He never missed a dunk

3) He had an unprecedented combination of style, grace and showmanship.

As such, I believe one could deduce that in order for Zach Lavine to have a Vince-like contest, he'd have to introduce some dunks most (if not all) of us have yet to conjure (as great as a windmill from the free throw line may be, James White was doing it years ago), make them on his first attempt, and do so while making them look sparkly fresh. It's not impossible, but I believe there's a reason we still look back on the '00 contest so adoringly, even with better leapers coming through the ranks since (Gerald Green, for one).

[Beastmode88]

Leaked Lebron James practice footages > VC's dunks.

Of course Dragic has to get in his Lebron post. Even tho he never even participated in one.

[Mass Debator]

Lebroni Jane has a chance

[NBAplayoffs2001]

If Vince is 10/10 then JRich is 9.9/10

exactly.

[kennethgriffin]

richardson actually did more impressive dunks in the contest.

the only reason vince looks like a better dunker is because he can palm the ball better and has longer arms. that and he might get up a bit higher. but after all that i think the only dunk vince did that was better than richardsons off the backboards between the legs is maybe the olympic dunk


vince is the best dunker ever though. only cause he did the most impressive in game dunks

[CelticBaller]

Dwights superman dunk?

That was a dunk?

[moe94]

richardson actually did more impressive dunks in the contest.

the only reason vince looks like a better dunker is because he can palm the ball better and has longer arms. that and he might get up a bit higher. but after all that i think the only dunk vince did that was better than richardsons off the backboards between the legs is maybe the olympic dunk


vince is the best dunker ever though. only cause he did the most impressive in game dunks

alley windmill > off the backboard between the legs

[JerrySeinfeld]

Does anyone remember the year Nate Robinson dunked over Dwight Howard?

It seemed so setup and pre-determined with the whole Superman and Kryptonite narrative. Nate Robinson's first two dunks weren't even good and the other dunkers had much better dunks but got way worse scores so they didn't advance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_IjYMNrX-8

He got 8's and 9's for jumping of someones back and doing a plain dunk.

[Sammyzuko]

IMO Lavine looks like he can replicate 2000 Vince in the Dunk contest completely demolishing the opponents. I watched a video on youtube where a reporter asked Wiggins who he thinks would win in a dunk contest and Wiggins simply responded "I aint doing no free throw windmill"

....and Lavine said he can't do the behind the back dunk that Wiggins did. Lavine did say he has a bag of tricks he's yet to unleash tho.

[Rake2204]

Does anyone remember the year Nate Robinson dunked over Dwight Howard?

It seemed so setup and pre-determined with the whole Superman and Kryptonite narrative. Nate Robinson's first two dunks weren't even good and the other dunkers had much better dunks but got way worse scores so they didn't advance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_IjYMNrX-8

He got 8's and 9's for jumping of someones back and doing a plain dunk.

I don't think it would have taken a ton of foresight for Robinson to plan the green KryptoNate thing. Dwight made a big deal of the Superman angle the year prior so appealing to Superman's weakness wasn't exactly creative genius.

As for the other dunkers - Rudy Fernandez performed a pretty standard one-hand off-the-backboard dunk for his first finish, likely while fans and judges were still confused about his Fernando Martin jersey. Fernandez's second slam was impressive, but it took him the entire dunk time (many, many misses) and ultimately, his elevation was somewhat lacking, leading to a near scrape-like finish. It could be argued his second dunk was worth more than 42 but with such little elevation and so many attempts, it's a tough get.

I happened to like J.R. Smith's first dunk (double bounce windmill completed on first attempt). I thought it was probably more deserving than a 43, but not much more. He sort of shot himself in the foot with his next dunk though which, after numerous misses, ended up just being a pretty standard two-hand dunk off a teammate bounce.

In contrast, I think Nate Robinson's first dunk (self-bounce windmill on first attempt) was actually pretty darn impressive, similar to J.R. Smith's except coming from a smaller performer. That said, I agree about the back-jump dunk, it was atrocious. It received the worst score of the first round (41). Unfortunately, 8 seemed to be about as low as judges would go on a made dunk on the first attempt, so his bad dunk still led to a modest score that allowed him to advance.

Personally, I feel Robinson should have been disallowed from using a teammate's back to propel himself to the hoop. I don't think he should have been disqualified, I just think he should have been forced to complete another dunk, sans teammate assistance. It reminded me of an old ESPN street dunk contest where I saw a guy climb a 15 foot ladder and jump off the top, dunking on the way down.