Dunking is one of the best things about NBA basketball. It’s what fans pay to see. It demoralizes your opponents and galvanizes your teammates and the crowd, if you happen to be playing at home.
Power dunkers are a special breed. They simply assert their raw athletic superiority over their opponents and dunk hard over them. It doesn’t look too fancy, but it gets results.
Below is a list of NBA players who, through a combination God-given athletic ability and skills, have become the top 10 power dunkers of all time. They were unbeatable in their prime, bullied players who were weaker physically, and routinely turned opponents into posters that are now plastered on the walls of fans all over the world.
Favorite Male Athlete: Shaquille O'Neal. ReutersDarryl Dawkins, aka “Chocolate Thunder,” was NBA’s first acclaimed power dunker and was one of the (flashy) pioneers of the physical style of play that we see so often today.What he is mostly known for, however, is breaking backboards with his powerful dunks. In the 1979 season, he broke two backboards, an NBA record that will likely stand forever because the league, in response to Dawkins’ sheer dunking power, declared a rule against backboard breaking and introduce “shatterproof” backboards.The colorful Dawkins had many nicknames for his various dunks, including "In-Your-Face Disgrace", "Look Out Below", "Rim-Wrecker", "Go-Rilla", "Spine Chiller Supreme", and "Cover Your Head.”He named his first backboard breaking dunk "The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam."
NBAThe Nets are the prohibitive favorite to land Dwight Howard, but the Magic have lukewarm interest in the Nets' trade package. ReutersShawn Kemp’s career was short, below-potential, and plagued with controversies.However, what’s undeniable is the raw physical talent he possessed. At his peak, he was probably the most explosive player in NBA history.Kemp used his athletic ability to dominate and humiliate his opponents.His famous dunk over Alton Lister and his subsequent antics are a prime example of this.
ReutersDominique Wilkins’ nickname was the “Human Highlight Film”, and that title pretty much says it all.Wilkins was the first prolific dunker in the league and an ambassador who popularized this sensational form of scoring. He was also considered the best overall dunker of all time until Michael Jordan (and perhaps Vince Carter) came along.Wilkins’ dunk had some style, namely the windmill and the double-clutch. But what really set him apart, and what he really relied on during actual games (as opposed to dunk contests) to wow and intimidate, was his jumping ability and raw power.
NBALebron James is a physical specimen. He is the most athletic, strong, and powerful small forward of all time.He has the rare ability to both leap out of the building and easily back down any small forward in the league.James is most dangerous in the open court, where he is often described as an incoming freight train that crushes any defender who is stupid enough to get in front of him.
ReutersKarl Malone, at 6’10” and 260 pounds, was a freak of nature.Malone was a bully in the power forward position. He often intimidated people with his thunderous dunks, powerful physique, and the occasional elbow.At his prime, he can dunk anyone, centers included. In fact, one of the earlier experiences of Shaquille O’Neal as a young player in the NBA is being on the receiving end of a Karl Malone power dunk.
ReutersDavid Robinson was a gentleman, statesman, and champion.What people nowadays forget is that he was a dominant physical force in the NBA.Robinson had some skills, but a large part of his game is being bigger and stronger than his opponents. This is especially apparent early in his career, when he just dunked on anybody and everybody.
ReutersMichael Jordan is so good at so many things that some of his strengths have been overshadowed.One of them is his raw power.Early in his career, he used it to dunk on all kinds of players. For such a skinny guy, the power he dished out was incredible.In mid career, Jordan’s power as a dunker peaked and he physically dominated and dunked on guards who were simply too weak and small.It was only later in his career that he developed and came to rely on his patented turnaround jumper.
ReutersPhysically speaking, the way to think about Charles Barkley is the strength and physique of LeBron James but without the latter’s jumping ability.Still, that makes Barkley incredibly strong and powerful. He routinely moved around bigger centers to get rebounds and earned multiple rebounding titles.With his sturdy frame and freakish strength, Barkley was predictably a devastating power dunker.
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