NBA All-Star weekend tips off tonight starting with the Ruffles All-Star Celebrity Game at 7 p.m. ET followed by the Panini Rising Stars game at 9 p.m. ET. Saturday of All-Star weekend includes the Skills Challenge, 3-point Contest, and the Steph vs. Sabrina 3-point Challenge before wrapping up with one of the biggest events of the weekend: the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.
The NBA Dunk Contest has provided thrills and incredible moments for basketball fans for decades. Iconic dunks like Michael Jordan's dunk from the free throw line in 1987 and Vince Carter's series of slams in 2000 provide an extra layer of excitement during All-Star weekend.
This year's group of Dunk Contest challengers should keep the tradition going. Ahead of Saturday's event, here are five of the top dunks from the last 10 years:
NBA All-Star game: Kentucky basketball sets record with 7 participants
2024 NBA All-Star Game weekend: Live stream, TV, dunk contest, 3-point contest, rosters
The 2016 NBA Dunk Contest is the best of the past decade and one of the greatest of all time. Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavine traded perfect scores during the championship rounds but one of Gordon's stands out as the best.
Gordon played for the Orlando Magic at the time and enlisted the Magic's mascot, Stuff the Magic Dragon, for help during the contest. In this dunk - likely his best of the contest - Gordon launches and clears Stuff, weaving the ball under his legs before slamming it home.
Gordon and Lavine traded incredible dunks back and forth all night. Lavine took home the title for the second year in a row in a controversial end to the contest.
Lavine's best dunk from the 2016 NBA Dunk Contest might have happened before the championship rounds.
His incredible night began with an incredible dunk. Lavine passed the ball to himself and corralled it with his left hand and swapped it to his right hand behind his back, all in one swift motion, before slamming home a one-handed reverse dunk.
Caitlin Clark does it! Iowa guard passes Kelsey Plum as NCAA women's basketball top scorer
By everyday standards, Gordon is a very tall person at 6 feet, 8 inches in height. He's even a bit above average for the NBA; as of the 2022-23 season, the average NBA player stands 6 feet, 6 inches tall .
The same can't be said for former Boston Celtic and Cleveland Cavalier Tacko Fall. Standing 7 feet, 5 inches tall, he's one of the tallest players in NBA history .
Gordon brought Fall out for his final dunk of the night and, with a running start, grabbed a ball from Fall's hands and slammed it through.
Gordon did seem to catch Fall's head on the way down and earned a 47 point score for the dunk. He ended up losing to Derrick Jones Jr. four years after losing in similarly close fashion to Lavine.
The 2023 NBA Dunk Contest was one of the more entertaining events since Gordon and Jones Jr. dueled in 2020. The championship round featured New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III and Mac McClung , a guard from the Philadelphia 76ers ' G League team.
Murphy III immediately knocked home his first attempt of the title round: an impressive windmill dunk off a between-the-legs alley-oop to himself.
Murphy III didn't end up winning the event but was consistently strong throughout the competition.
Indy's extra preparation: Pacers and Indianapolis use 3-year delay to add new wrinkles to 1st NBA All-Star weekend since 1985
Murphy III set the stage in the final round and McClung delivered on his last dunk. The G League guard donned his high school jersey for his final dunk of the night: a 540-degree reverse two-handed slam.
After successfully hitting the dunk, McClung mouthed "it's over" to the crowd, harkening back to Carter's iconic line during the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest. He was right, like Carter was 23 years prior, and earned a 50 to secure the title.
McClung looks back: 2023's surprise NBA dunk contest champ reaped many rewards. But not the one he wanted most
McClung, now with the Osceola Magic (the Orlando Magic 's G League affiliate), returns to the NBA Dunk Contest in 2024. Joining him are:
When:Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
Where:Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Cable:TNT
Streaming:TNT app, FuboTV
How to watch: Catch NBA All-Star Weekend and more with a Fubo subscription
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA Dunk Contest: 5 highlights from past decade at All Star weekend
