5 best big men in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history
By Amaar Burton
4. Shawn Kemp (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994)
Before it became commonplace for superstars to decline the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and leave it mostly to rookies and role players, Shawn Kemp was a big name who made the dunk contest a habit.
Kemp competed in four NBA Slam Dunk contests in his first five NBA seasons. Although he never won, the six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA pick was always a force to be reckoned with and made the finals twice. Kemp finished second in the 1991 contest and third in 1994.
Like most big men, Kemp was a better in-game dunker than a contest dunker. That said, he is arguably the greatest in-game dunker of all time and one of the best NBA Slam Dunk Contest dunkers among big men.
The 6’10” power forward for the Seattle SuperSonics was abnormally bouncy for someone his size. His vertical leap was reported at 48 inches. He had hang time and he dunked with power.
In the 1991 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, one could easily argue that Kemp put together the best collection of dunks, but winner Dee Brown was aided by his gimmicky (and profitable) Reebok Pump sneaker theatrics.
Kemp had another quality showing in 1994, but lost to the more creative J.R. Rider and his famous “East Bay Funk” between-the-legs dunk that hadn’t been seen before on such a big stage.