NBA Slam Dunk Contest winners & full history

09/01/2024

Through the highest of highs and lowest of lows, the NBA (insert sponsor) Slam Dunk contest has seen everything in its 40+ year history. From players being limited to dunking within a certain period to only having a certain amount of attempts, to the 2014 edition where someone had the genius (not) idea of making it East vs West, the contest has gone through many evolutions. Some role players have made a name for themselves in this competition, while star players (hello LeBron James) have avoided it altogether. Is it for extra rest or to save themselves from possible embarrassment? Who knows.

But, one thing is for certain: the greatness of the competition has always been limited to the dunker’s creativity. While with the passing of time the quality of the dunks has gone down (law of diminishing returns), it’s still an entertaining watch as the main event of All-Star Saturday Night. If nothing else, it’s intriguing to see what new maneuver a competitor invents, or what they decide to dunk over.

History of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest

The contest was an invention of the ABA, known as the league for flashy plays over the NBA at the time. The first one was held in 1976, which Julius Erving won. The next year, after the ABA-NBA merger, the league brought back the dunk after a 10-year ban and held a Dunk Contest throughout the season. The contest was won by Darnell Hillman, but he only received his trophy a couple of years ago.

The league officially brought in the Dunk Contest as a permament, annual competition during the 1984 All-Star weekend, which Larry Nance won that one. Since then, even with the Three-Point Contest growing in popularity, the Dunk Contest still goes last on Saturdays, and has featured some memorable moments throughout the years: the original duel between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter ending the competition, Nate Robinson defying the odds, to Blake Griffin jumping over a car. While the Three-Point contest might be the most entertaining, the Dunk Contest always has the most potential to be the best.

Past Dunk Contest winners (and location):

1976 (Denver): Julius Erving
1977 (everywhere lol): Darnell Hillman
1984 (Denver): Larry Nance
1985 (Indianapolis): Dominique Wilkins
1986 (Dallas): Spud Webb
1987 (Seattle): Michael Jordan
1988 (Chicago): Michael Jordan
1989 (Houston): Kenny Walker
1990 (Miami): Dominique Wilkins
1991 (Charlotte): Dee Brown
1992 (Orlando): Cedric Ceballos
1993 (Salt Lake City): Harold Miner
1994 (Minnesota): Isiah Rider
1995 (Phoenix): Harold Miner
1996 (San Antonio): Brent Barry
1997 (Cleveland): Kobe Bryant
2000 (Oakland): Vince Carter
2001 (Washington, D.C.): Desmond Mason
2002 (Philadelphia): Jason Richardson
2003 (Atlanta): Jason Richardson
2004 (Los Angeles): Fred Jones
2005 (Denver): Josh Smith
2006 (Houston): Nate Robinson
2007 (Las Vegas): Gerald Green
2008 (New Orleans): Dwight Howard
2009 (Phoenix): Nate Robinson
2010 (Dallas): Nate Robinson
2011 (Los Angeles): Blake Griffin
2012 (Orlando): Jeremy Evans
2013 (Houston): Terrence Ross
2014 (New Orleans): East; John Wall was “Dunker of the Night”
2015 (New York): Zach LaVine
2016 (Toronto): Zach LaVine
2017 (New Orleans): Glenn Robinson III
2018 (Los Angeles): Donovan Mitchell
2019 (Charlotte): Hamidou Diallo
2020 (Chicago): Derrick Jones Jr
2021 (Atlanta): Anfernee Simons
2022 (Cleveland): Obi Toppin
2023 (Utah): Mac McClung

History of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Past Dunk Contest winners (and location):

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