The NBA Slam Dunk Contest is a staple of the league’s All-Star weekend. Each year the contest is held the night before the All-Star Game itself, giving the opportunity for basketball’s highest flyers to show off their creativity and dunking skill. Once upon a time it was the highlight of the weekend and a can’t-miss event on any sports fan’s calendar.
The prestige has worn off in the modern era, though. The risk of injury and a fear of failure in the social media era means stars are largely loath to participate. For the last 10 years the lineups for every dunk contest have largely been made up of lesser-known names and G League players. There are still some good dunks but the shine of it all has faded. It would only take one good dunk contest to reverse course, but the chances of seeing such a contest grow slimmer by the year.
Nevertheless, with the arrival of this year’s event it marks a good time to look back on the rich history of dunk contest winners with another player set to be crowned.
Every NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner
| WINNER | YEAR | CITY |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Nance | 1984 | Denver |
| Dominique Wilkins | 1985 | Indianapolis |
| Spud Webb | 1986 | Dallas |
| Michael Jordan | 1987 | Seattle |
| Michael Jordan | 1988 | Chicago |
| Kenny Walker | 1989 | Houston |
| Domonique Wilkins | 1990 | Miami |
| Dee Brown | 1991 | Charlotte |
| Cedric Ceballos | 1992 | Orlando |
| Harold Miner | 1993 | Salt Lake City |
| Isiah Rider | 1994 | Minnesota |
| Harold Miner | 1995 | Phoenix |
| Brent Barry | 1996 | San Antonio |
| Kobe Bryant | 1997 | Cleveland |
| Vince Carter | 2000 | Oakland |
| Desmond Mason | 2001 | Washington, D.C. |
| Jason Richardson | 2002 | Philadelphia |
| Jason Richardson | 2003 | Atlanta |
| Fred Jones | 2004 | Los Angeles |
| Josh Smith | 2005 | Denver |
| Nate Robinson | 2006 | Houston |
| Gerald Green | 2007 | Las Vegas |
| Dwight Howard | 2008 | New Orleans |
| Nate Robinson | 2009 | Phoenix |
| Nate Robinson | 2010 | Dallas |
| Blake Griffin | 2011 | Los Angeles |
| Jeremy Evans | 2012 | Orlando |
| Terrence Ross | 2013 | Houston |
| John Wall | 2014 | New Orleans |
| Zach LaVine | 2015 | New York City |
| Zach LaVine | 2016 | Toronto |
| Glenn Robinson III | 2017 | New Orleans |
| Donovan Mitchell | 2018 | Los Angeles |
| Hamidou Diallo | 2019 | Charlotte |
| Derrick Jones Jr. | 2020 | Chicago |
| Anfernee Simons | 2021 | Atlanta |
| Obi Toppin | 2022 | Cleveland |
| Mac McClung | 2023 | Utah |
| Mac McClung | 2024 | Indianapolis |
| Mac McClung | 2025 | San Francisco |
NBA Slam Dunk Contest history
In case you were unaware, the first true Slam Dunk Contest did not take place in 1984, which is seen as the first “official” dunk contest in the league’s record books. Instead it debuted nearly 10 years earlier with the American Basketball Association.
The ABA birthed the dunk contest for its own All-Star Game in 1976. The legendary Julius Erving placed first and earned the first-ever dunk contest crown. The league merged with the NBA later that year and the Slam Dunk Contest transitioned to the NBA All-Star Game for the 1976–77 season; Darnell Hillman of the Pacers won but didn’t get a trophy until 2017.
The dunk contest then disappeared until ‘84. That year the NBA held All-Star weekend in Denver, the city which played host to the ABA’s first dunk contest in ‘76, so it was fitting to re-introduce the contest that season. It wound up a huge hit and has been a staple of All-Star activities ever since.
Best Slam Dunk Contests ever
As mentioned above the quality of the Slam Dunk Contest has oscillated over the years. Even so, there are a few that stand out above all others as the very best in the history of the event.
The second official NBA Slam Dunk Contest in ‘85 is a strong contender for one of the better contests in the history of the event. Michael Jordan participated as a rookie and his showing helped vault him to superstardom. It also showed the basketball world what “Air Jordan” really meant. The fact that he got to face off against Dominique Wilkins made it all the better. But their rematch in ‘88 was an even more impressive showing. It brought us Jordan’s famous free throw line dunk and took place in front of a rocking Chicago crowd.
As far as the contest with the actual best dunks go, it’s hard to beat the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest featuring Vince Carter. The Hall of Famer put on an absolutely incredible performance featuring some of the all-time greatest dunks basketball fans will ever see. In some ways his performance might have saved the Slam Dunk Contest as an All-Star staple; the league didn’t hold one in the two seasons prior to Carter’s amazing show.
In the modern era there is no better Slam Dunk Contest than the ‘16 face-off between Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon. Both stars were capable of jumping through the roof and brought a sincere creativity to the floor not seen since Gerald Green blew out a candle on the back of the rim nearly a decade prior. Gordon’s under-the-legs dunk while jumping over the Magic mascot is an indelible image in the history of the Slam Dunk Contest.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
- NBA All-Star Saturday Live Scores: Updates From Three-Point Contest, Shooting Stars, Slam Dunk
- NBA Three-Point Contest Winners: Full List from 1986 to Now
- Sixers’ VJ Edgecombe Shines With Two Game Winners on Way to Rising Stars MVP Honors
- Top Five Moments From 2026 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Slam Dunk Contest Winners: Full List From 1984 to Now.
