NBA All-Star Weekend: 5 Greatest Slam Dunk Contests of all time
The rosters for the 2020 All-Star Game have now been announced, and the hype continues to build ahead of All-Star Weekend. The event is always one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the basketball calendar, and all eyes will be on the annual All-Star Game as Team Giannis takes on a team put together by Los Angeles Lakers superstar, LeBron James.
Nevertheless, while Sunday's game will once again headline the weekend, there is plenty of excitement over the Slam Dunk Contest. Dwight Howard and Aaron Gordon have been announced as competitors, while there are also rumors that Zach LaVine could return - which could set up a huge showdown between three of the NBA's best dunkers.
With that said, the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest has some serious competition to overcome if it is to go down as one of the best, and here we will take a look at five greatest dunk contests of all time.
#5 2011 Slam Dunk Contest
There is still plenty of NBA fans that believe that the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest was rigged in Blake Griffin's favor, although regardless of the outcome, the contest provided plenty of show-stopping dunks.
JaVale McGee memorably dunked on two nets at once to earn a perfect score, while Serge Ibaka performed arguably the best 'free throw' dunk in the contest up until that point. DeMar DeRozan also received a perfect score after throwing himself a bounce lob before throwing down a sensational reverse dunk.
Nevertheless, following an epic battle with McGee in the Finals, Griffin was decided the winner by fan voting. Griffin's dunks, including a 360 behind the back slam were largely forgettable, although his infamous 'Kia' dunk will be long remembered due to its reputation as the worst winning dunk in history. Ultimately, Griffin didn't deserve to win, although the 2011 contest was still an excellent contest.