by - All-Star weekend has arrived, which means it’s time for the NBA’s annual slam dunk contest.
- In the past year, the dunk contest has produced some incredible and memorable photos of NBA stars that have gotten a lot of airplay.
- Take a look back at the most extraordinary photos from past NBA slam dunk contests:
Donovan Mitchell won the dunk contest as a rookie in 2018.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Chris Pizzello
His acrobatic dunks – combined with his colorful jersey and shoes – made for some amazing photos.
Photo: sourceBob Donnan/Pool via AP
Derrick Jones Jr. went between the legs during the dunk contest in 2017.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Gerald Herbert
And the aerial view is absolutely fantastic.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Gerald Herbert, Pool
He also jumped several teammates during the event.
Photo: sourceRonald Martinez/Pool via AP
JaVale McGee upped the ante in 2011, dunking on two different hoops at the same time.
Photo: sourceJeff Gross/Getty Images
It’s hard to forget the time Blake Griffin jumped a car for the slam that same year.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Here is the picture from above.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Griffin also imitated legendary dunker Vince Carter by throwing his arm at the rim on a massive dunk.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Carter won the dunk contest in 2000 with the same move.
Photo: source JOHN MABANGLO/AFP/Getty Images
He also made walking between the legs look like second nature.
Photo: source Jed Jacobsohn / Allsport
Gerald Green borrowed the move eight years later.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Eric Gay
But he stunned fans and pundits by replicating Dee Brown’s no-look dunk the year before.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/ Kevork Djansezian
Dwight Howard went full Superman during the dunk contest in 2008. He even wore a cape.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Eric Gay
His Airness rocked the slam dunk contest in 1988 with a series of legendary dunks, including this impressive reverse.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/John Swart
Jason Richardson looks like he could walk on air in 2002.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Chris Gardner
Nate Robinson — a 5-foot-9 point guard for the New York Knicks — wowed viewers with his high-flying dunks during the 2006 dunk contest.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Lucy Nicholson, Pool
He somehow managed to get even more bounce the next year.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Here’s a shot of him hanging off the rim and catching the rebound off a missed dunk.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file
Aaron Gordon has hit several NBA dunk contests.
Photo: sourceRonald Martinez/Getty Images
His ability to go under the legs before tipping the rim has mesmerized spectators for years.
Photo: sourceJonathan Bachman/Getty Images
So when he did it over Stuff the Magic Dragon — the Orlando Magic mascot — at the 2016 dunk contest, it sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Photo: sourceElsa/Getty Images
Jeremy Evans skated over then-teammate Gordon Hayward to win the dunk contest in 2012.
Photo: sourceJeff Haynes-Pool/Getty Images
The following year, he took a handoff from Utah Jazz great Mark Eaton while jumping over him for the slam.
Photo: sourceAP Photo/Pat Sullivan
Zach LaVine soared through the darkness to win the 2015 NBA dunk contest.
Photo: sourceElsa/Getty Images
Then he came back and won it again the following year.
Photo: sourceVaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Take a look at the future of the NBA dunk contest:
Photo: sourceGrant Halverson/Getty Images
