High Risers: Athletes With the Best Hops in Sports History

Sport (Years): Track and Field (1935-1936)
Reported Personal Best: 8.13 meters or 26 feet, 8 inches (long jump)

Before the steroid era changed the game, there was one American whose leaps made figurative strides for blacks everywhere. While racking up four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Germany, Owens also set a world record for the long jump (8.13 meters) that would stand for 25 years. Oh yeah, did we mention he did all this in front of hating-ass Adolf Hilter? #KING

Sport (Years): Track and Field (1960-1968)
Reported Personal Best: 8.35 meters or 27 feet, 4 inches (long jump)

Some people take years to establish their legacy but thanks to his exceptional leaping ability in the long jump, Ralph Boston did it in 365 days. In 1960, Bostonwon the NCAA long jump title, broke Jesse Owens' long jump world record, and took home the gold medal in the event in the Rome Olympics. But his victories didn't end there. Boston went on to win the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championship from 1961 to 1964, and just in case you thought he was some one-trick pony, he also set the longest triple jump record for an American in 1963. Not many are worthy of the DJ Khaled treatment, but count this guy as one of them.

Sport (years): Basketball (1975-1984)
Reported Personal Best: 44-inch vertical

With a nickname like "Skywalker," if you're not rolling around campus with a lightsaber by your side, you better have some hops to back it up. Sporting a 44-inch vertical, David Thompson is rumored to have started a trend that still goes on till this day: the alley-oop. Along with his teammate at North Carolina State Monte Towe, the two implemented the oop into their team's game plan and took advantage of the competition in the process. In his ABA days with the Virginia Squires, Thompson fell out of the spotlight when he was overshadowed by fellow 1976 Slam Dunk contestant, Julius Erving. Many believe that Skywalker attempted a dunk during warm-ups called "cradle the baby" (sound familiar?) but never did it during the competition.

Sport (Years): Basketball (1980-1991)
Reported Personal Best: 48-inch vertical

By the time Dr. Dunkenstein entered the league, legends like Dr. J and David Thompson had already taken the art of dunking to a new level and the 1981 Rookie of the Year added to the phenomenon with his unreal ability to levitate. Injuries including a stress fracture in his foot cut his career short but the Utah Jazz paid homage by retiring his jersey in 1993. He's definitely our favorite Jazz player of all time. FOH, Malone.

Sport (Years): Track and Field (1983-2001)
Reported Personal Best: 2.45 meters or 8 feet (high jump)

A lot of people were getting high in the '80s but no one got higher than Javier Sotomayor. Matter fact, no one has gotten as high since. In 1988, Sotomayor set the high jump world record by leaping 2.43 meters in the air at a meet in Spain. He'd literally raise the bar twice more by jumping 2.44 meters in 1989 and 2.45 in 1993. Sotomayor retired in 2001 after two positive drug tests (one for cocaine the other for anabolic steroids) had him facing a lifetime ban. Getting high on the track? Dope! Getting high off of it? It all depends on what you're into...

Sport (Years): Basketball (1983-1993, 1995-1998, 2001-2003)
Reported Personal Best: 48-inch vertical

They don't call Michael Jordan "His Airness" for nothing. While at North Carolina, the Chicago Bulls, and even during the twilight of his career with the Washington Wizards, MJ logged more flight time than Charles Lindbergh. While there are many memorable moments of Mike taking flight, there's none better than his '88 Dunk Contest victory over Atlanta's Dominique Wilkins that established Air Jordan as the one of the best leapers of all time.

Sport (Years): Track and Field (1984-1998)
Reported Personal Best: 7.49 meters or 24 feet, 7 inches (long jump)

Back when the Russians were dominating virtually every Olympic sport and when Americans were a bit more nationalistic, Jackie Joyner-Kersee was who we turned to put on for our country in women's track and field. She certainly didn't let us down as she brought home six Olympic medals including three golds during her career. She also set the women's long jump world record at 7.49 meters in 1987, a personal best which still stands as the second longest long jump in women's history.

Sport (Years): Basketball (1980s-mid 2000s)
Reported Personal Best: 50-inch vertical

The great thing about street ballers as opposed to NBA players is that the former are about three times more likely to entertain you. Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell was one of the best at doing that. Despite his 5-foot-9 frame, Hook wasn't just a little dude who used crazy ball handling skills as his go-to weapon. The Oakland native was the type to drive down the lane and dunk over opponents that stood nearly a foot taller than him. Way before 6-foot-10 Blake Griffin jumped over a car to take home the 2011 Dunk Contest trophy, Hook was doing the same except with he added a 360 for style points. NBA players like Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Antonio Davis, Drew Gooden, and Brian Shaw played with Hook and said he's one of the most talented players they'd ever seen. Sadly, Hook never got to take his talents to the league as he got caught up in drugs and crime. This soundtrack never seemed more appropriate.

Sport (years): Track and Field (1985-1990)
Reported Personal Best: 7.52 meters or 24 feet, 8 inches (long jump)

Ever hear about how the USSR would produce superhuman athletes that would dominate the competition in the '80s? Well, Galina Chistyakova was one of 'em. One of the best in fact. Her long jump of 7.52 meters back in 1988 still stands as the women's world record today. Props to her but records are meant to be broken, how many more months till the 2012 Games in London? U-S-A! U-S-A!

Sport (Years): Basketball (1985-1998)
Reported Personal Best: 42-inch vertical

At only 5-foot-7, did Anthony Jerome "Spud" Webb even stand a chance against Dominique Wilkins in the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest? Webb even claims that Wilkins had "never seen me dunk" before that memorable night. However, when the competition got underway, Spud proved that he not only belonged but that he had a good chance of capturing the trophy. And he did just that. See, size doesn't matter! Pause.

Sport (Years): Basketball (1988-present)
Reported Personal Best: 56-inch vertical

This French dunker seems to be what urban myths are made of but it turns out he does exist and can jump really high. How high? Well, his vertical leap has been reported anywhere from 50 to 61 inches. We say FOH to the latter part of that but he is able to reach the backboard with the heel of his foot which is insane. Ziani's hops have taken him all across the globe and he once proclaimed, “Each time I go up for a dunk, I am ready to die, I am not scared.” #nuffsaid

Sport (Years): Track and Field (1988-1996)
Reported Personal Best: 8.95 meters or 29 feet, 4 inches (long jump)

If baseball is a game of inches, then track and field is a game of centimeters. During the 1991 World Championships in Athletics, Mike Powell broke the long jump world record held by Bob Beamon for nearly 23 years by a mere 5 centimeters. Powell's 8.95 meter (29 feet, 4½ inches) jump is still standing to this day.

Sport (Years): Basketball (1990-2002)
Reported Personal Best: 44-inch vertical

It's been a few days since the 2012 Dunk Contest and everyone's still talking about how ridiculously wack the event was. Well, for the young'ns out there who don't know, the Dunk Contest was arguably the most exciting exhibition event in sports back in the late '80s and early '90s. Dee Brown took the Slam Dunk Contest crown during this golden era when he stole the show with this "no-look" dunk back in 1991. C'mon, Chase Budinger. You can't disrespect the OG like that.

Sport (years): Basketball (1992-1996)
Reported Personal Best: 44-inch vertical

So, Harold Miner's overall play certainly never lived up to the "Baby Jordan" nickname but his dunks were still quite dope. He won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1993 and 1995. Sadly, those were the only highlights of Miner's career which included just 47 starts over four seasons. Considering the most recent "Baby Jordan" reference came via a diss from Wale, we're glad to give "Baby Jordan" a bit of contemporary shine.

Sport (Years): Basketball (Early '90s-present)
Reported Personal Best: 52-inch vertical

Yeah, you can have a highlight reel full of epic slams here, but there's nothing that can establish yourself as a great leaper quite like a placement in the Guinness Book of World Records. While with the Harlem Globetrotters, Wilson broke a record held by Arizona State's Joey Johnson when he dunked a basketball on a 12-foot-high rim on April 1, 2000. So, go ahead and keep watching your YouTube montages, we think homie is doing just fine in the record books.

Sport (Years): Football (1998-2010)
Reported Personal Best: 39-inch vertical

We already told you that Randy Moss knows all about getting high. And now we mean that in both senses of the word. Any quarterback who had the pleasure of throwing to Moss knows that all you had to do was send him on a deep route and toss up a jump ball to get a completion. The 6-foot-4 wideout played basketball in high school and was named the West Virginia player of the year in 1993 and 1994. Think the Pats missed having dude on that last play of the Super Bowl this year? #justsayin'

Sport (Years): Basketball (1998-present)
Reported Personal Best: 43-inch vertical

What's your favorite gravity-defying dunk by Vince Carter? We all have one and plenty to choose. From his display at the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest to his nasty slam over 7-foot-2 Frederic Weis during the Summer Olympics of the same year, VC has carved out an impressive career for himself solely based on his dunks. Even as Vinsanity reaches the twilight of his career, he still shows glimpses of the good 'ol days.

Sport (years): Basketball (2001-present)
Reported Personal Best: 45.5-inch vertical

As a young'n, Kenny Gregory had heads turning whenever he took flight. Eventually, the Kansas Jayhawks snatched up Gregory and his 45.5-inch vertical. Unfortunately, though, his leaping ability never translated to the NBA game and he went undrafted in 2001. Nowadays, aside from his dunks, the only jumping he does is from one team to another as he's been consistently on the move, signing with clubs from France to Greece to the United States.

Sport (Years): Volleyball (2003-present)
Reported Personal Best: 50-inch vertical

If you're playing close to the net in volleyball, possessing a great leaping ability is a must. Just ask Leonel Marshall, Jr. As the son of Cuban volleyball player, Leonel Marshall, Sr., who played in the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics, junior had a lot to live up to when he got older. Luckily, the younger Leonel had a slight (sarcastically speaking) advantage in the form of a unique 50-inch vertical, which helped lead the Cuban indoor volleyball team to a 2000 Olympic appearance. Stuntin' like his daddy...and then some.

Sport (Years): Football (2005-present)
Reported Personal Best: 46-inch vertical

It's a known fact that anybody who plays in the secondary is shorter than the wide receiver they're checking. That is why cornerbacks and safeties depend on anything and everything but their leaping ability to defend their man. But the Cowboys' Gerald Sensabaugh (pictured far right) is one of the rare few that can actually compete for the ball when it's up in the air. Thanks to his 46-inch vertical that was discovered at the 2005 NFL Combine, Sensabaugh moved up the ranks in the Draft and was selected by Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round.

Sport (Years): 2005-present
Reported Personal Best: 43.5-inch vertical

A list of the best leapers would not be complete without Kryptonate. The little man has taken what Spud Webb started back in '86 to a whole new level. At 5-foot-9, Nate is the only player to win the Slam Dunk Contest three times (2006, 2009, 2010). And by the look of things this year, he'll probably hold that title for quite some time. David Stern, you know what to do.