LeBron, Candace, Zion: Jam Fest’s many extraordinary dunks
Mar 31, 2025, 09:00 AM ET There’s no event in high school basketball that propels players from elite status to family names as quickly as the Sprite Jam Fest– the yearly start to the McDonald’s All American Games.From LeBron
James to Vince Carter to Candace Parker, high school stars have actually put on aerial display screens that set the stage for their future fame in the NBA and WNBA.On Monday, the next batch of stars will lace ’em up at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.In anticipation of the mind-boggling high-wire acts, we zeroed in on some of the leading minutes from the prestigious occasion throughout the years.
1995, St. Louis Vince Carter put the world on notification for what was to come, sliding through the air and throwing down imaginative dunk after imaginative dunk to edge out future Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce. Carter went on to win the NBA dunk contest in 2000 and is widely considered as among the greatest sky walkers the game has actually ever seen.2002, New York
Carmelo Anthony had competitors in the dunk contest versus Amar’e Stoudemire up until the future Phoenix Suns star missed out on a dunk. Manny Millan/ Sports Illustrated via Getty Images Carmelo Anthony won a battle with Amar’e Stoudemire when he took off from about a foot in front of the free-throw line and tossed down a strong one-hander. Stoudemire tried to one-up Anthony and take off from the actual free-throw line however missed out on the dunk, offering the future 10-time NBA All Star the hardware.2003, Cleveland
One could argue that all the criticism LeBron James has actually caught throughout his profession for never ever taking part in an NBA dunk contest is rooted in the enjoyment after his efficiency in his one and just dunk contest in Cleveland. The 18-year-old beneficiary apparent rocked the rim with cock-back slams and windmills, taking out J.R. Giddens and Shannon Brown in front of what was basically his hometown crowd.2004, Oklahoma City Candace Parker beat Josh Smith, Rudy Gay and J.R. Smith to become the very first woman to win the slam dunk contest. Manny Millan/ Sports Illustrated by means of Getty Images Candace Parker tactically took apart the competitors to become the first female to win the dunk contest, taking out high leaflets like Josh Smith, Rudy Gay and J.R. Smith. All 3 went on to participate in the NBA dunk contest, which Smith won the following year. Parker’s best dunk came when she covered her eyes with her left arm and tossed down a vicious slam with her right.Since Parker
‘s win, Ashlyn Watkins and Fran Belibi are the other 2 women that took home the crown.2007, Louisville
Even as a high school senior, Blake Griffin was loosening up the depend upon rims by tossing down his hallmark beast dunks. Griffin dazzled the crowd with an off-the-backboard windmill and an off-the-bounce 360 dunk in the finals to knock off future NBA players like Patrick Patterson and Michael Beasley.2008, Milwaukee Demar DeRozan’s dunk contest was filled with acrobatic tricks, which he later on brought to NBA All-Star weekend years later. Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
DeMar DeRozan owned the night, utilizing his 38.5-inch vertical leap to throw down acrobatic dunks– a reverse Eastbay, a hanging windmill and a backboard tap ricochet dunk off the bounce that enthralled the crowd and ultimately earned him the hardware.2018, Atlanta
The buzz surrounding the dunk contest that year was deafening, since of Zion Williamson. The 6-foot-7 wing was a viral experience over his last 3 years of high school, throwing down the most vicious dunks over and through protectors, while drawing crowds of thousands frequently. From his 360-windmill to cock-backs to his Eastbay off the glass, Williamson lived up to the lofty hype to take home the hardware.