There is perhaps no more dramatic and beloved play in basketball than the slam dunk. And while slam dunks themselves are decent, there is nothing quite like someone dunking over someone else. A solid “posterization”, as they are called, are somewhat rare in the NBA so when one happens, you can be sure it will be played in highlight reels forever. Here are five of the best posterization dunks in history.
1. Vince Carter over Alonzo Mourning
For my money, Vince Carter is the greatest dunker of all time. The man had a rare combination of power, finesses and leaping ability in his dunks which made them simply gorgeous. He was also fearless as he one day decided to try dunk over Alonzo Mourning, one of the toughest and tenacious defenders in the league at the time. Unfortunately for Zo, the two collided in mid-air and Carter’s athleticism still allowed him to finish the dunk is devastating fashion.
2. Blake Griffin over Kendrick Perkins
This was one of the incidents that basically told players to get the hell out of the way when Blake Griffin is coming at you. Unfortunately, Perkins stood his ground and paid the consequences. Griffin hits the imaginar trampoline, bounces way above Perk and literally throws the ball into the net which leads the crowd and announcers alike to absolutely lose their minds. This one will definitely be played over and over for the rest of time.
3. Deandre Jordan over Brandon Knight
Every time Knight closes his eyes to go to sleep, there is no way he doesn’t see this dunk. Deandre Jordan is a 7 foot center who can jump and Brandon Knight is just over 6 feet tall and plays point guard. What would possess him to try and jump to block the dunk attempt by Jordan. Well, whatever it was, it caused him to be on the receiving end of one of the hugest dunks of all time. The bench reaction of the Clippers is amazing and Knight will be seeing himself on posters for years to come.
4. Scottie Pippen over Patrick Ewing
This is definitely one of the most iconic posterizations of all time. On the giving end was Scottie Pippen who was an instrumental part of numerous championship teams and on the receiving end was Patrick Ewing, one of the best big men of all time. To add to the drama, the game was in the playoffs and the little step over Pippen does after the dunk really is the icing on this cake. This is truly legendary.
5. Vince Carter over Fredrick Weis
This is an easy number one, and you saw it coming. No other in game dunk comes close to the absolute magic that Vince Carter pulled at the Sydney Olympics. Carte came crashing through the lane and literally jumped over top of the over 7 foot tall Fredrick Weis. Watching this for the first time, I literally had a hard time believing how it was even possible. I don’t think this dunk will ever be topped and will definitely be shown on highlight reels for the rest of time.
