Basketball

Top 20 Poster Dunks In The Past Year

By Ryan Finklestein - April 16, 2019

Few things are more exciting in sports than a monster slam dunk. A lot of times a dunk can change the entire momentum of the game as they create buzz in the arena like no other play.

A dunk is even better if you catch a body on your way to the rim and you are sure to see plenty of those dunks on this list.

So, grab your popcorn, sit back, relax and get ready to watch the best poster dunks of 2018.  

20. Giannis Antetokounmpo


The Greek Freak is so long and athletic that it seems like he could dunk from the three-point line. This dunk is the best way to start this list off, as Giannis Antetokounmpo throws a hammer down on Kosta Koufos’ head. Got to give Koufos credit for trying, but he had no chance.  

19. Miles Bridges


Miles Bridges is just 20 years old but he sure dunks like a full-grown man. Bridges is in his rookie season with the Charlotte Hornets and is just finding his footing in the league. Still, if you let Bridges get a full head of steam, he will make you pay.  

18. Anthony Davis


Anthony Davis recently said that he considers himself the greatest player in the world and when he makes plays like that it is hard to blame him. You can’t knock Jarrett Allen for his attempt to dissuade Davis’ dunk, as he has been one of the best dunk blockers in the NBA.  

17. Emmanuel Mudiay


Emmanuel Mudiay is resurrecting his career as a member of the New York Knicks and part of that process was getting himself in better shape. Clearly the hard work has paid off as Mudiay is showing some serious athleticism on a nightly basis with plays like this.

16. Jayson Tatum


Nothing like a sweet put-back dunk, especially when you only need one hand to get it done. It also looked like Jayson Tatum started from the free throw line on that jam.  

15. Allonzo Trier


Allonzo Trier went undrafted out of college but may have found a home with the New York Knicks. Trier is averaging over 20 minutes per contest and if he keeps making plays like that, it will be hard to keep him off the court.  

14. Anthony Davis


It’s a shame that the New Orleans Pelicans could not find a way to keep Rajon Rondo and Anthony Davis together, as the duo could put on show every time, they set foot on the floor.

Although they could come together again, if LeBron James gets his wish of adding Davis to the Lakers, maybe we can say alley-oops like this once again.  

13. Cody Zeller


If I told you that Cody Zeller and Aaron Gordon were involved in a poster dunk, you would just assume that Gordon had dunked all over Zeller. Every once in a while, roles can be reversed though and Zeller was somehow the superior athlete on this play.  

12. James Harden


James Harden would usually like to go with a fancy layup rather than a rim-racking dunk, but when Rudy Gobert is waiting in the paint you have to improvise. Harden showed why he was the MVP on this play, as he dunked on the league’s top shot-blocker with ease.  

11. Zach LaVine


Zach LaVine made a name for himself as dunker, winning back-to-back Slam Dunk Contests at the start of his career. LaVine is now becoming much more than just a dunker, as he is averaging 23.9 points per game leading the Bulls.

Still, whenever he gets a clear runway LaVine is sure to breakout his best dunk contest-worthy slams.  

10. Karl-Anthony Towns


Looking back at this dunk, the refs may have gotten the call wrong as Paul Millsap was clearly out of the restricted area and looked like he set his feet as he tried to draw the charge.

Still, it is really hard to take away a monster slam dunk like that away from Karl-Anthony Towns.

9. Jaylen Brown


You can’t give Jaylen Brown a technical foul for celebrating that dunk.

Sure, he stared him down and flexed on him, but Brown just put the Greek Freak on a poster.

Giannis Antetokounmpo played some great defense against Brown on this play, but Brown was just too strong and slammed it home.

Keep flexin’ on em Jaylen, you deserve it.

8. Dennis Smith Jr.


Luka Doncic has become the headliner for the Dallas Mavericks, but let’s not forget just how good of a second-year player Dennis Smith Jr. is. Smith is one of the most athletic guards in NBA and he showed right there that he is still a skywalker that can dunk on anyone.  

7. Kelly Oubre Jr.


Kelly Oubre Jr. has a new fan base to win over, as he was just traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Trevor Ariza. Oubre is going to have no problem becoming a fan-favorite if he keeps throwing down dunks like that.  

6. Derrick Jones Jr.


They call Derrick Jones Jr. “Airplane Mode” for a reason, as he is capable of taking flight at any moment. Jones is the midst of a breakout season, as he is becoming a solid role player for the Miami Heat. The more he is on the floor, the more we get to dunks like this, so hopefully Jones can continue to get more minutes as the season wears on.  

5. Zach LaVine


This is the second dunk that LaVine has on this list, as the high-flying guard pulled off a 360 dunk in the middle of a game. LaVine could be on this list 10 times with dunk show that he puts on every night, but these were some of his best dunks of the year.  

4. Donovan Mitchell


You can just tell on this play that Donovan Mitchell had his eyes on the rim the whole way and was going to find his way to the rack. Mitchell has serious hops, which we all saw on display at last year’s All-Star break when he won the Slam Dunk Contest.

3. Mitchell Robinson


Until watching this dunk, I had no idea who Mitchell Robinson was but that is one heck of dunk. The only way to catch this pass was to do a 180 and he showed the  concentration to finish the play with a dunk.  

2. Joel Embiid


The pass by Ben Simmons was almost as sweet as the powerful slam by Joel Embiid on this fantastic dunk. Embiid sure loves to celebrate his own success and had a lot of fun after completing that play. What also makes this dunk even more impressive is the circumstance, as it was in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.  

1. Aaron Gordon


Only Aaron Gordon would think to pay homage to Karl Malone’s Mailman pose in the middle of a game, especially after receiving the alley oop on a fast break. Gordon may just be the best dunker in the NBA right now and rightfully deserves the top spot on the list.

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