The Best NBA Poster Dunks
Jordan vs Ewing, Davis vs Kirilenko, Carter vs a French Giant
Dec 13, 2007 Justin Harrington
#5. Ronnie Price (6'2"; Sacramento Kings) over Carlos Boozer (6'9"; Utah Jazz): during a 2006 NBA regular season game, Price decided, after getting a free lane to the basket, to elevate against the defense of Boozer, who could only watch in awe as Price skied over him to finish with an authoritative left-handed dunk that brought Kings fans out of their seats and prompted the commentator to quickly declare it as "the dunk of the year." Price and Boozer are now teammates in Utah, so, lucky for Boozer, the only posterizing that will ever take place will be in practice and well out of the public eye.
#4. Baron Davis (6'3"; Golden State Warriors) over Andrei Kirilenko (6'9"; Utah Jazz): during last season's NBA playoffs and the Warriors' improbable run, Davis received a pass from his teammate, drove baseline around his defender, and jammed one-handed in the face of Kirilenko. Immediately after the dunk, Kirilenko looked back at Davis, possibly to confirm who it was that had just posterized him.
#3. John Starks (6'5"; New York Knicks) over Horace Grant & Michael Jordan (6'10" & 6'6" respectively; Chicago Bulls): often referred to as "The Dunk," the 1993 playoffs saw Starks make a move on his defender, drive baseline, and elevate over the defense of Grant and Jordan to finish with a emphatic left-handed jam that brought the Madison Square Garden fans to their feet. Headlines praising Starks filled New York newspapers the following day and the dunk is still revered as one of the best in NBA history.
#2. Michael Jordan (6'6"; Chicago Bulls) over Patrick Ewing (7'0"; New York Knicks): Ewing, like Ming, makes a second appearance on this list in the unfortunate role of the defender. During the 1991 playoffs, Jordan shook off the defense of two Knicks with an impressive baseline spin move and elevated like only he can over Ewing to throw down one of the most famous highlight dunks in NBA history. Watching the video in slow motion, it appears as if Jordan elevates twice - just to make sure he is high enough - before finishing with the right-handed jam that makes Ewing blush.
#1. Vince Carter (6'6"; United States 2000 Olympic team) over Frederic Weis (7'2"; French 2000 Olympic team): often described as THE greatest dunk ever, this play saw Carter gain control of the ball near the three-point line and dribble towards Weis, the 7"2" center who was guarding the basket. In what was utterly remarkable, Carter leaped over Weis, literally, and the defending player, who wanted nothing more than to draw a charging call, stood still as V.C. threw down a nasty one-handed dunk. Following the dunk, dubbed "French Toast," Weis appeared to be looking for a place to hide, but he'd already become the defender in what may be the most famous poster in basketball history.
Click here to see the start of the top 10 list of NBA poster dunks
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