A history and ranking of the Knicks in the Dunk Contest before Obi Toppin’s debut
Obi Toppin will compete in the Slam Dunk Contest this weekend, becoming the latest in a long line of Knicks to compete. Vivek Dadhania goes back through all the previous Knicks Dunk Contest participants and ranks them from worst to best, along with some historical context from the moment.
Knicks rookie Obi Toppin is slated to make his NBA Slam Dunk Contest debut during halftime of the 2021 NBA-All Star Game. This is the 13th Slam Dunk Contest that featured a New York Knick player, and Toppin marks the eighth Knick to participate. Several future Knicks participated in the Dunk Contest over the years. One ever-forgettable moment was Allan Houston’s performance in 1994. Houston replaced the prior year champion Harold Miner, who bowed out due to a back injury. Other more memorable moments included future Knicks Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, and Amare Stoudemire.
Following the tradition of the dunk contest, it’s only right to rank all the previous Knick dunk contest participants from worst to best.
12) James White (2013)
The Knicks signed James “Flight” White for one reason and one reason only: to dunk. After the Knicks acquired a bunch of players over the age of 35, the focus shifted to a half-court offense. Still, White was meant to dunk when out on the floor and showcase his dunks to an NBA crowd.
The NBA figured it was right to give Flight White a primetime opportunity to showcase those viral dunking talents in the Dunk Contest. It would certainly be box office, right? NOPE.
Flight White embarrassed himself in the dunk contest. His first dunk was meant to be a free throw line dunk, except he took off a few steps inside the line. He wasn’t able to even attempt the second dunk due to a multitude of misses, and his tenure in the contest was short. His NBA career ended at the end of the year after the Knicks waived him.
NBA fans yearned for more, and Flight White failed to deliver.
11) Doug Christie (1996)
Knicks fans may ask two questions:
Doug Christie was a Knick?
Doug Christie participated in the dunk contest?
Before Jackie Christie became a household name, Doug Christie was in fact a basketball player who played for the Knicks. If you weren’t a die-hard fan or didn’t watch a lot of Knicks games on TV, you might have forgotten about him, because he played all of 35 games and 297 regular season minutes with the Knicks.
After sitting on the bench under Pat Riley and Don Nelson (since both John Starks and Hubert Davis were significantly better players), Christie suited up for the 1996 NBA Dunk Contest. There was definitely more attention during the Dunk Contest than in garbage time minutes.
Unfortunately, the 1996 Dunk Contest looked more like a Summer League practice than a showcase of athletic prowess. Christie’s performance was forgettable, as he placed fifth out of six contestants. He would normally have been in last place had Darrell Armstrong not attempted a layup. Yes, someone in the league office figured it was smart to have Darrell Armstrong in the Dunk Contest. Interestingly enough, Christie donned the Knicks’ alternate road uniforms with the black stripes. These uniforms debuted in the 1995-96 season and became the standard road uniforms a year later. Christie himself demanded a trade earlier in the year, and the Knicks later granted that request by sending him to the Toronto Raptors to clear up cap space for the free agency class of 1996.
Christie became a solid NBA player after leaving the Knicks. However, the NBA was smart enough not to invite him to any more dunk contests.
10) Gerald Wilkins (1987)
Gerald Wilkins participated in two dunk contests as an NBA player; both occurred in his first two seasons in the NBA with the Knicks. Wilkins had a worse performance in 1987 compared to the previous year. He made a one-handed 360, but missed his other dunk and didn’t advance to the second round.
Unfortunately for all the Dunk Contest participants, Michael Jordan came to exact revenge and vindication for missing a bulk of the previous season due to a broken foot. Without Dominique in the competition, MJ easily won the 1987 Dunk Contest against Jerome Kersey.
9) Gerald Wilkins (1986)
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest originated in 1984 in Denver. It was eight years after the ABA gave birth to the inaugural dunk contest in Denver. Larry Nance Sr. won the first dunk contest in 1984 and Dominique Wilkins won the second in 1985.
1986 was an interesting contest, as it not only featured Dominique as the returning champ, but also featured younger brother Gerald and his Hawks teammate Spud Webb. Gerald was a rookie shooting guard (yes — he was drafted in the year of Ewing) who cemented a role as the Knicks’ starting shooting guard. He didn’t possess the otherworldly athleticism of his older brother Dominique, but he could put on a respectable performance.
Interestingly enough, the dunk contest was held at the Reunion Arena in Dallas. Knick broadcasting legend John “Johnny Hoops” Andariese was one of the analysts covering the contest.
Gerald advanced to the semifinals with a score of 133/150. He received a 50 in the first round after dunking over a chair. However, he faltered in the semifinals, as he converted on only one of his three dunks. The 1986 Dunk Contest ultimately was a contest between two teammates: Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb. The diminutive Webb shocked the crowd and judges with his dunks and defeated his teammate to win the 1986 Dunk Contest.
8) John Starks (1992)
Before John Starks rattled the Madison Square Garden crowd with “The Dunk,” he showcased his athletic capabilities in the 1992 Dunk Contest in Orlando. The 1992 NBA All-Star Weekend was overshadowed by Magic Johnson’s presence, a few months after he retired due to contracting HIV.
The early half of the 1990s marked a steep decline in popularity of the Dunk Contest. Dunk Contest legends like Dominique Wilkins, Larry Nance, and Michael Jordan were long gone, as the slate of participants were mostly newcomers. Specifically in 1992, only Shawn Kemp was a returning participant.
Starks faced off against his future Knick teammate Larry Johnson. Both Starks and LJ advanced to the semifinals. Starks showcased his hops with a few stellar reverse dunks. Unfortunately, it was not enough, as LJ and Cedric Ceballos faced off in the final round. Ceballos was ultimately crowned the champion.
7) Dennis Smith Jr. (2019)
Weeks after being the centerpiece in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Dennis Smith Jr. attempted to win some support from Knicks fans by participating in the 2019 NBA Dunk Contest. DSJ had somewhat of a hometown advantage, as All-Star weekend was in Charlotte, North Carolina — Smith’s home state.
DSJ had a very impressive first round. His most memorable dunk was dunking over a sitting J. Cole (also North Carolina-bred) while donning his high school jersey. That dunk earned him a 50 and a spot in the final round against Queens-bred Hamidou Diallo.
Unfortunately, DSJ was gassed once the final round hit. He missed most of his attempts in the final round. He tried to enlist the help of a retiring Dwyane Wade and Charlotte-bred Steph Curry. After several misses, DSJ successfully dunked over D-Wade and controversially earned a 50, but it wasn’t enough to compensate for a 35 on his first dunk. Diallo cruised to a victory with a generous 88/100 on both of his dunks.
Sadly, due to poor play, poor conditioning, and a slew of injuries, the Knicks never saw a consistent reel of DSJ highlight dunks beyond a few week stretch during the 2018-19 season.
6) Nate Robinson (2007)
Nate Robinson came to defend his Slam Dunk Trophy in 2007. Unlike in the previous year, a timer limited the number of missed dunk attempts he could try. Players only had two minutes per dunk.
Nate showed his verticality on his first three dunks. Unfortunately for Nate, he faced a very tough competitor in Gerald Green. Green received a 50 after making an impressive windmill dunk from right inside the free throw line. Nate’s second dunk was more reminiscent of the dunk off in the previous year. This time around, Nate ran out of time, as Green won the 2007 Dunk Contest.
5) Nate Robinson (2010)
By 2010, Nate Robinson seemed to achieve just about everything as a Knick. He was an enshrined member of the Summer League Wall of Fame. He had already won two Dunk Contests. He successfully entered and escaped Mike D’Antoni’s doghouse. As a lame duck Knick, it was only right for Nate to achieve basketball immortality by becoming a three-time Slam Dunk Champion.
Unlike previous seasons, this was a tame dunk contest. Nate’s only competition was DeMar DeRozan. By this time, the novelty of Nate’s dunk contest exploits wore off. Nate’s dunks weren’t as exciting and he barely achieved victory with just 51% of the fan vote.
The Slam Dunk Championship effectively marked the end of Nate Robinson’s legacy as a Knick. He was shortly traded to the Boston Celtics in a deal that netted the Knicks Eddie House and Henry “Bill” Walker as the centerpiece players.
4) Kenny “Sky” Walker (1990)
Kenny “Sky” Walker flew down to Miami to defend his Slam Dunk Contest title. His performance in the previous year motivated Dominique Wilkins to return to the Dunk Contest.
Walker scored a 95.2/100 on his two dunks in the first round. His first dunk was a 360 and his second was a cradle reverse dunk along the baseline. Those two dunks advanced him into the semifinals. His two dunks in the semifinals earned him a 97.4/100. Normally, this score would warrant a trip to the final round. However, Queens-born Kenny Smith shocked the audience with a score of 98.3 to advance to the final round against Dominique Wilkins.
As the defending champion, Walker put forth quite the valiant effort to become a back-to-back champion, but just fell short, as Dominique Wilkins ultimately reclaimed the title of Slam Dunk Champion.
3) Nate Robinson (2006)
After Vince Carter electrified the Dunk Contest to start the millennium, the competition went into a lull period for the first half of the decade. While Jason Richardson tried to reinvigorate interest with clever dunks, the lack of star appeal and less-than-stellar quirks (hello, wheel) almost convinced fans and league officials to cancel the Dunk Contest altogether. The 2005 Dunk Contest returned to its roots in Denver. Along with the return came a newfound sense of excitement, courtesy of future Knicks Amar’e Stoudemire and JR Smith. Josh Smith stole the show, especially with his homage to Dominique Wilkins.
The 2006 Dunk Contest attempted to replicate the excitement from 2005. Knick rookie Nate Robinson entered the contest with a reputation for his dunking capabilities, even at a sub 5-foot-9 frame (perhaps 5-foot-7 on a regular day). Nate came in to dethrone the returning champion in Josh Smith.
Controversy ensued in the final round when Nate squared off against Andre Iguodala. It took Nate several attempts to make his first dunk. Nate’s signature dunk was leaping over the 1986 Slam Dunk Champion Spud Webb to earn a 50. Nate earned a 94/100 between his two dunks in the finals. Iguodala was on the road to victory with his second dunk, after already receiving a 50 on his first dunk. He was slated to receive a full slate of 9s until Kenny Smith decided to change his score from a 9 to a 8. This led to the first ever tie and dunk off.
The dunk off was equally controversial, as it took 14 attempts for Nate to make his dunk. Nate miraculously received a 47. With the help of an undisclosed judge, Iguodala managed to fall one point short, as Nate earned the first of three Slam Dunk Championships.
Many Knick haters and 76ers fans claimed that the judges rigged the Dunk Contest for Nate. While those rumors are silly, the NBA attempted to rectify some of the ills of this dunk contest. One year later, the NBA instituted a time limit so that players could not miss an infinite number of dunks.
Due to the sheer number of missed dunks, this wasn’t necessarily Nate’s best dunk contest victory, but perhaps it’s the one that garnered the most controversy.
2) Nate Robinson (2009)
After a one-year break, Nate Robinson returned to the Dunk Contest to dethrone Dwight Howard — AKA “Superman.” Nate only scored 87/100 in the first round. His most notable dunk was stepping over Wilson Chandler (and miraculously not injuring him in the process), yet that dunk only scored a 41/50. Due to a weaker slate of contestants (JR Smith and Rudy Fernandez were the only competition), Nate easily advanced to the final round.
His signature dunk came after he donned the Knicks’ green St. Patrick’s Day Jersey — the KrpytoNATE to Dwight’s Superman. Dwight, dressed in his Superman cape, stood in front of the restricted area as Nate went and dunked over him. With 52% of the fan vote, Nate reclaimed the Slam Dunk trophy in 2009.
Unlike 2006, Nate didn’t have the luxury of unlimited dunk attempts. Since 2007, a two-minute timer was enacted to ensure the calamities of 2006 weren’t repeated. Despite the timer, Robinson earned enough of the fan vote to win the title, unlike his failed repeat bid in 2007.
1) Kenny “Sky” Walker (1989)
The Knicks took a break from participating in the 1988 Dunk Contest after sending Gerald Wilkins in the 1986 and 1987 Dunk Contests. I don’t blame them one bit as Jordan had another historical victory against older brother Dominique Wilkins.
Kenny “Sky” Walker, a player Obi is lazily compared to, participated in his first Slam Dunk Contest in 1989 at the Summit in Houston. The crazy part is that his participation almost didn’t happen for two reasons. One, Walker was a last-minute replacement, as Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins both dropped out due to injuries. Furthermore, Sky Walker also was mourning the death of his father three days earlier.
Walker breezed his way through to the final round with several jaw-dropping dunks to face hometown superstar (and future Rocket) Clyde Drexler. With All-Stars Patrick Ewing and Mark Jackson courtside, Walker scored a 48.9 and 49.6 on his two dunks. Drexler missed his first two dunks and didn’t even bother to attempt a third as “Sky” Walker was crowned champion of the Dunk Contest. Perhaps it was fitting for “Sky” Walker to win in Houston for multiple reasons (not a coincidence the NASA Space Center is located in Houston).
