Best NBA Slam Dunker of All-Time

ESPN.com had a poll the other day that asked who people thought was the best slam dunker of all-time, if they were all in the prime of their careers.  Some of the options were Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, and Michael Jordan.  I made my selection and was very surprised to see that who I had chosen was not who the majority of the people picked.  Here is why I think Vince Carter is the best slam dunker of all-time.

First of all, I narrowed my choice down by process of elimination.  Wilkins was a power dunker and was able to finish strong in traffic.  He did not have the flair to his dunks that the others do, which is why he is not the best.  That was the easy one to get out of the way.

Kobe and Dr. J both had their fair share of great dunks.  Dr. J could flat out soar while Kobe’s creativity in dunking is up there with the best of them.  However, Erving and Kobe simply are not on the same level as Jordan and Carter in terms of dunking.

This is where the discrepancy takes place.  Fourty-four percent of the people selected Michael Jordan as the best of all-time, while 26% chose Vince Carter.  I am as big of a Micahel Jordan fan as anyone out there, (and yes, he is the greatest player of ever) but there is no way he was a better dunker than Vince Carter.  Jordan was a fantastic all-around player and it is hard not to give him the title of “best ever” for each facet of his game.  In Vince Carter’s athletic prime, he was basically just a dunker, that is what he did.  Carter has more highlight reel dunks than anyone who has played in the NBA.  Whether he was in a Slam Dunk Competition, an NBA game, or jumping over people who stand 7’2″, Carter always found a way to make you say “wow.”