Image via Complex Original
Another NBA season, another NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Even though the event has lost a little prestige we still sit there gawking at our flat-screens waiting for someone to defy all physics and throw down a jam that will still have us talking about it on Monday. Just as important as the competition is the kicks the players don while they take flight. The past few years we have witnessed brands cook up some crack just for the evening, and a few decades ago ball players were just happy to be endorsed as they helped cement a shoe in basketball history. Check out The 20 Best Sneakers in NBA Slam Dunk Contest History and hit us in the comments with your favorite kicks and moments.
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Nike Zoom Flight Club
20. J.R. Smith — Nike Zoom Flight Club
Year: 2009
Life before NYC still was good for JR, he didn't take home the hardware from the 2009 Slam Dunk Contest but was consistently taking sneaker blog headlines for his dope rotation of sneakers. The Glove-inspired Flights were a nice touch in '09. Koldgame for life.
Nike Air Max Uptempo III
19. Chris Carr — Nike Air Max Uptempo III
Year: 1997
Who is Chris Carr? Yeah, we don't remember either, but he rocked the Air Max Uptempo IIIs in the '97 Dunk Contest. Ray Allen did too, if that makes you feel better, Carr just made them look a lot flyer.
Nike Air Maestro
18. Chris Jackson — Nike Air Maestro
Year: 1993
The Maestro was made famous by players like Jason Kidd and Scottie Pippen, but Chris Jackson (you might know him as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) took flight in the lightweight sneakers only to be out-shined by Baby Jordan who was en route to his first Dunk Contest title.
adidas adiPressure Sun
17. Serge Ibaka — adidas adiPressure "Sun"
Year: 2011
adidas was actually on foot of a few champs in the 2000s but none stood out quite as much as Serge's bright-ass jawns from the 2011 contest. Major props to adidas for stepping its game up and hitting us with some dope options over the past couple of years.
Nike Zoom Kobe V
16. DeMar DeRozan — Nike Zoom Kobe V
Year: 2010
Yeah, we know the all-red iDs in 2011 were sick but these didn't seem too over-stated and it also allowed for the Nike and Kobe branding to really pop in air. Damn, not even Kobe rocked Kobes in the Dunk Contest — deep shit.
Converse ERX-300
15. Kenny "Sky" Walker — Converse ERX-300
Year: 1989
In the late '80s sneakers were getting bigger and bulkier but that didn't stop Kenny "Sky" Walker from bodying a 270-degree windmill dunk so bad that Clyde Drexler essentially said "fuck it" and gave up on his final dunk. The large "CONS" logo was impossible to miss even on your grainy-ass television and from there a star was born — Walker did alright for himself too. In the dunk contest, anyway.
Brooks
14. Dominique Wilkins — Brooks
Year: 1985
People are quick to forget that the Human Highlight Film took His Airness down in their first face-off as the league's greatest dunker. Just as importantly overlooked were the Brooks basketball kicks that 'Nique took air in during the '85 competition that earned him the crown. Nobody even remembers the model name now — not even Brooks themselves.
Converse Cons NBA Threat
13. Isaiah "J.R." Rider — Converse Cons NBA Threat
Year: 1994
The Cons might not be as memorable as the performance, but in all fairness the "East Bay Funk Dunk" wouldn't have been upstaged in Nike Air MAGs. Ambitionz of a Rider.
Nike Air Flight Lite II
12. Shawn Kemp — Nike Air Flight Lite II
Year: 1992
Ceballos jacked Dee Brown's vision-less vision for the Dunk Contest to take home the trophy, but it was Kemp in The Swoosh that stole the show with sneaker aficionados. That's right, the Reignman was in Nikes before making the switch to Reebok. Recognize.
Converse Pro Leather
11. Julius Erving — Converse Pro Leather
Year: 1976
The fro, the ABA game ball, and Converse Pro Leathers — the epitome of cool almost 40 years ago and to this date it's hard to find a better dunk than the original free-throw line slam by Dr. J and the classic Cons he did it in.
Reebok The Pump
10. Dominique Wilkins — Reebok The Pump
Year: 1990
Forget the sneakers for a minute, 'Nique was up against couple young cats — Kemp and Pippen — in the Dunk Contest and still emerged as the champ and held down The Pump at the same damn time. Heck, Nique's 53 now and he could probably still get one down.
Nike Air Go LWP
9. Harold Miner — Nike Air Go LWP
Year: 1995
These might be a little more synonymous with Penny than Baby Jordan, but to regain his title after dipping out in '94, Harold rocked the low and responsive kicks to join some elite company as a two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champ. Unfortunately the rest of his résumé isn't quite up to par.
Nike Zoom Flight 95
8. Brent Barry — Nike Zoom Flight 95
Year: 1996
When the Dunk Contest first started it seemed more likely to see a black president than a white slam-dunk champ. Brent Barry defied all odds and he did it in one of the greatest signature sneakers in basketball history — just another assist for Jason Kidd.
AND1 Tai Chi
7. Vince Carter — AND1 Tai Chi
Year: 2000
You can have the debates all weekend but Vince during the 2000 Dunk Contest was the greatest slam-dunk performance of all time. To top that, dude was (legally) inked to Puma and out there doing the lord's work in AND1 kicks. We're guessing that bonus check never made it to his account — hopefully AND1 made it up to him somehow.
Nike Foamposite Lite "KryptoNate" PE
5. Nate Robinson — Nike Foamposite Lite "KryptoNate" PE
Year: 2009
You have to dap Nike for this move, they really thought out Nate topping Dwight "Superman" Howard. Do self-appointed nicknames really count though? The slime-green Foamposites had Nike Talk and the sneaker blogs going crazy and Nate executed the performance perfectly to earn the crown. Did Dwight really have to help Nate win, though?
Nike Air Flight One "Galaxy"
5. Paul George — Nike Air Flight One "Galaxy"
Year: 2012
PG's idea was on point but unfortunately the photography didn't quite catch what he was going for. George switched into the glow-in-the-dark "Galaxy" Air Flight Ones for the second half of the dunk contest to try add get the crowd hyped by the aesthetics as much as the acrobatics. Not one person on Instagram made this happen? SMH.
Reebok Pump Omni Lite
4. Dee Brown — Reebok Pump Omni Lite
Year: 1991
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest wasn't what it once was when the class of '91 took the floor but Dee Brown's no-look dunk gave new breath to the event, not to mention the Reebok Pumps on Dee's feet when the cameras started flashing. They couldn't have asked for better press, and Nike had some major competition with RBK's new technology.
Air Jordan II
3. Michael Jordan — Nike Air Jordan II
Year: 1987
Made in Italy with premium materials for the league's premium athlete, after taking '86 off with a broken left foot Jordan returned to take flight against Dominique in the Dunk Contest. You already know what happened next and even with minimal branding from Nike everyone knew what was on Mike's feet.
adidas EQT Elevation
2. Kobe Bryant — Adidas EQT Elevation
Year: 1997
This is the shoe we remember Kobe in most as a rookie, pre-'fro and pre-titles, winning the Slam Dunk Contest in Cleveland and adding to the ever-growing Jordan comparisons. The purple Dunk Contest PEs are in desperate need of a re-release for the 17th year anniversary, maybe. You listening, adidas?
Nike Air Jordan III
1. Michael Jordan — Nike Air Jordan III
Year: 1988
The pressure was on, having to defend his title in front of the home crowd the world was ready to see what MJ had up his sleeve. He set-off the competition with a variety of disgustingly inhuman acrobatic dunks that ended up as posters on your wall as a kid and Jordan IIIs on the feet made the cypher complete. Richard Jefferson rocked them in the '03 contest but came up empty-handed, so the headline goes to the king, Mike.