Hoops Habit
Fansided

25 Greatest Poster Dunks in NBA History

By Maxwell Ogden

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 05: NBA Legend Julius Erving hugs Dominique Wilkins as the Atlanta Hawks honor Wilkins in the unveiling of a statue in his name at Philips Arena on March 5, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John Bazemore-Pool/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 05: NBA Legend Julius Erving hugs Dominique Wilkins as the Atlanta Hawks honor Wilkins in the unveiling of a statue in his name at Philips Arena on March 5, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John Bazemore-Pool/Getty Images) /
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18. Welcome to the NBA, Dwight Howard

As legend goes, Dwight Howard had never been dunked on in his life entering his rookie season in the NBA. A man with a penchant for making history, Kobe Bryant, decided to take it upon himself to welcome the No. 1 overall selection to the NBA.

Howard, who won three Defensive Player of the Year awards and led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals, could do nothing about Bryant’s drive to the rack.

During his prime years, Bryant was known as one of the most explosive players in the world. Whether there was a clear path or a man in his way, The Black Mamba would go over, around, and through competitors with what seemed like relative ease.

Not even the most storied rim protector of the 2000s, albeit as a rookie, had enough to prevent Bryant from getting the job done.

Bryant nearly cleared Howard entirely with his leap, but the fact that he didn’t actually improves the quality of the dunk. He landed directly onto D-12 with the dunk, sent the rookie stumbling backwards, and dealt the All-Defensive Team mainstay his first posterization.

The two were eventually bitter frenemies, but this dunk will forever live on both players’ highlight reels.

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