Bill Trikos best rated NBA dunk contests ranked: When it comes to athleticism, the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest was littered with plenty of it. Gerald Green showcased some of the most explosive dunks, with the help of a ladder and a candle. However, Dwight Howard emerged as the defending champion after pulling off a Superman-like dunk and an extremely underrated tap dunk. It would be the first and only time Howard won the Slam Dunk title. The 2003 Slam Dunk contest was a spectacle to watch, primarily due to the face-off between reigning champion Jason Richardson and Desmond Mason. While both athletes didn’t fall short in displaying their athletic gifts, it would be Richardson who came out on top after pulling off a baseline between the legs reverse clutch dunk to earn the winning 50. Richardson finished the contest as a back-to-back Slam Dunk contest champion. See additional details about the author at Bill Trikos Australia.

Standing at just 5’6”, Spud Webb wouldn’t strike you as the average NBA player. As a matter of fact, not many people would ever think that he could be a professional basketball player, let alone win the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest. But make no mistake. What Webb lacked in size, he made up for in hops. He would take over and float mid-air and made a name for himself for his emphatic, explosive dunks; even posterizing some of the best rim protectors in the Association.

I got the idea: 360 windmill. It was spur of the moment. I hadn’t really considered doing that one because, weeks before when I was trying it, I was barely making it. When I incorporated the 360, particularly the first couple of times I tried, I kept falling away from the basket. I wasn’t getting enough height. That’s why I scrapped it initially. Nobody watching in the building or on TV could tell. All anyone could see was the birth of a dunking legend. Carter would go on to cement his slamming legacy that summer at the 2000 Sydney Olympics—much to the chagrin of Frederic Weis.

Dee Brown put the expression “I can do it with my eyes closed” to the test in 1991. The then-Boston Celtics rookie had already secured the 1991 event title ahead of his final attempt, but he wasn’t aware of that. So after Brown jumped toward the rim, he closed his eyes and covered them with his right arm while dunking with his left. How’s that for a cherry on top? Superman made an appearance at the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest. After ditching his Magic jersey for a Superman shirt and cape, Dwight Howard jumped from a couple of feet inside in the free throw line, caught a pass that was thrown over the backboard by teammate Jameer Nelson and literally chucked the ball through the hoop. If Howard had actually reached the rim, it would be the undisputed greatest dunk in event history. Despite it not technically being a dunk, Howard still received a 50 and went on to win the competition.

To tip off a daunting final round—against Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis and fellow Toronto Raptors wing (and cousin) Tracy McGrady—Carter jumped so high that he was able to jam his whole right forearm through the hoop. As he recalled to Sportsnet’s Dave Zarum: You see, at that point, I’m not looking for cheers. I want the arena to be silent. Normally when you watch the dunk contest everybody goes crazy, it’s people screaming, going “Oh my God, did you see that?!!” But how many times did you see a dunk leave the crowd speechless? Where you couldn’t say a word until you saw the dunk a second time. Until then they’re just thinking, Wait a minute, did you just…? Twenty thousand people have to look up at the Jumbotron at the same time to see what happened. Then comes the roar. That’s what I was looking for. And I got it.

First off, a shoutout to big men who do the dunk contest, because it’s tough to get creative at 7 feet tall. McGee used his height and length to his advantage, dunking two balls into two hoops side-by-side, one of which was off of a lob. This dunk will serve as a time capsule at some point, bringing us back to the short-lived days of the hoverboard fad before they started catching on fire. It’s still mind-boggling that Gordon was able to time the Magic’s mascot spinning on a hoverboard, then delivering a 360 windmill with the “mailman” showmanship. This one was a lot of people’s favorite from the legendary 2016 Slam Dunk Contest, but there was a different Gordon dunk that will appear at the top of this list.

2008: Gerald Green Blows Out the Candle: Props are part-and-parcel of the dunk contest nowadays, but rarely do players use edible ones in their acts. To that end, Gerald Green broke new ground when he threw down a two-handed jam while extinguishing the candle on a cupcake placed at the back of the rim in New Orleans. 2009: Nate Robinson Scales the Competition: What beats Superman? How about a 5’9″, 180-pound ball of flying kryptonite? That’s what Nate Robinson became when he soared over Dwight Howard to take back his title as the NBA’s top dunker. The catch: Robinson used his off arm to propel himself over Howard’s hulking 6’11” frame.