NBA Slam Dunk Contest - Best Dunks Ever

The Slam Dunk Contest is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was inaugurated by the American Basketball Association (ABA) at its All-Star Game in 1976 in Denver, just as the slam dunk was legalized in the NCAA. It enabled players to showcase their dunking skills and try to "out-dunk" each other. However, this contest would be short-lived as the ABA merged the following year with the NBA. Realizing the popularity of slam dunks, the NBA soon created a contest of its own, which made its first appearance in 1984. The contest currently uses fan voting, via text-messaging, to determine the winner. The very first slam dunk contest was won by Julius Erving at the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. The current champion of the NBA Dunk Contest is Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. Past NBA Slam Dunk Contest champions Over the history of the event, there have been 18 players who have been crowned the best dunkers in the NBA. Of those 18, four are two-time winners including: Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Harold Miner and Jason Richardson. 2008 (New Orleans) - Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic 2007 (Las Vegas) - Gerald Green, Boston Celtics 2006 (Houston) - Nate Robinson, New York Knicks 2005 (Denver) - Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks 2004 (Los Angeles) - Fred Jones, Indiana Pacers 2003 (Atlanta) - Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors 2002 (Philadelphia) - Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors 2001 (Washington, D.C.) - Desmond Mason, Seattle SuperSonics 2000 (Oakland) - Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors 1999 - Lockout - Shortened Season, No NBA All Star Game 1998 - No Slam Dunk Competition 1997 (Cleveland) - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 1996 (San Antonio) - Brent Barry, Los Angeles Clippers 1995 (Phoenix) - Harold Miner, Miami Heat 1994 (Minneapolis) - Isaiah Rider, Minnesota Timberwolves 1993 (Salt Lake City) - Harold Miner, Miami Heat 1992 (Orlando) - Cedric Ceballos, Phoenix Suns 1991 (Charlotte) - Dee Brown, Boston Celtics 1990 (Miami) - Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks 1989 (Houston) - Kenny Walker, New York Knicks 1988 (Chicago) - Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls 1987 (Seattle) - Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls 1986 (Dallas) - Spud Webb, Atlanta Hawks 1985 (Indianapolis) - Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks 1984 (Denver) - Larry Nance, Phoenix Suns All-time participants Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf: 1993 Ray Allen: 1997 Chris Andersen: 2004, 2005 Greg Anderson: 1988 Nick Anderson: 1992 Darrell Armstrong: 1996 Stacey Augmon: 1992 Brent Barry: 1996 Kenny Battle: 1990 Jonathan Bender: 2001 David Benoit: 1993 Dee Brown: 1991 Kobe Bryant: 1997 Chris Carr: 1997 Vince Carter: 2000 Cedric Ceballos: 1992, 1993 Tom Chambers: 1987 Rex Chapman: 1990, 1991 Doug Christie: 1996 Michael Cooper: 1984 Antonio Davis: 1994 Baron Davis: 2001 Ricky Davis: 2000, 2004 Johnny Dawkins: 1987 Clyde Drexler: 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989 Tony Dumas: 1995 Blue Edwards: 1991 Julius