'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Michael Jordan, widely considered the greatest of all time, was the NBA's main box office draw of the 1990's playing for the Chicago Bulls. His in-game dunks, trash talk, switching hands in mid-air while going for a layup are just some of the things His Airness did to entertain the basketball world.
But Michael Jordan was more than just a dunker. His fadeaway shots were a thing of beauty and MJ also developed a three-pointer towards the latter part of his career which meant he could impact the game from the perimeter as well. However, the thing that really captured the imagination of basketball fans was his dunks.
Jordan's ability to hang in the air was something that many thought defied the laws of gravity. It seemed like he could stay in the air forever. This resulted in MJ being able to pull off some pretty nasty dunks in his career. Below are five of the greatest dunks ever by Michael Jordan.
#5. Putback dunk vs Portland Trail Blazers
During the 1992-93 regular season, the Bulls hosted the Portland Trail Blazers on December 4th. Michael Jordan and company ran away as winners in a 111-99 victory over Portland. But the true highlight of the game was Michael Jordan's putback dunk off Scottie Pippen's missed free throw.
Initally, MJ seems to appear out of nowhere. But from a different angle, you can see Michael gathering momentum for a putback in case Pippen misses the free throw. And that is exactly what happened. By the time any of the Portland players could think about reacting, MJ was already up in the air ready to slam it in. It just shows you that His Airness had the presence of mind and ability to read situations better and quicker than everybody else.
#4. Dunk on Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo took the NBA by storm with his defensive prowess. Mutombo was one of the elite shot-blockers of his era and could patrol the paint like a rottweiler on guard duty. During the 1997 All-Star Game, Mutombo started to trash talk MJ and said that Michael Jordan had never dunked on him. Mutombo even tried to bring the likes of Patrick Ewing and Scottie Pippen into the conversation for confirmation.
That was all the motivation that MJ needed. Later that season, when the Chicago Bulls hosted the Atlanta Hawks, Jordan responded in style by dunking on Mutombo and even brought out Mutombo's infamous finger-wag. It just goes to show that you don't go poke a lion and expect him to play nice.
#3. Dunk on Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing is one of Michael Jordan's closest friends. It was April 30th, 1991 in the Eastern Conference First Round, and the Chicago Bulls came into this game after winning the first two against the New York Knicks. MJ came up big time with 33 points but the highlight from the match that will live long is Jordan's dunk on Ewing.
Michael Jordan shakes off two defenders and attacks the basket with ferocity. Patrick Ewing was one of the premier shot-blockers in the league but was no match for Jordan this time as MJ put his close friend on a poster dunk. His Airness and company would eventually go on to win their first championship that year.
#2. Cradle dunk vs the New York Knicks
In his rookie season, Michael Jordan lit up Madison Square Garden in a game against the New York Knicks. MJ had 33 points on the night on better than 68% shooting from the field along with 5 assists and 8 rebounds.
However, the biggest moment of the game came on a breakaway as Jordan managed a steal and had an open court in front of him. MJ decided to bring out some flare and was soon soaring through the air as he executed a cradle dunk close to perfection. That would be the highlight of the game and potentially the season.
#1. Dunk from the free throw line
En route to winning his first ever Slam Dunk Contest, Michael Jordan decided to pull out something special out of his bag. And it was truly special indeed. Jordan ran full court to gain speed and momentum and just took off from the free throw line for the soaring slam. Time appeared to stand still as the high-flying guard from North Carolina performed something many had never seen before.
This dunk would win Jordan his first ever Slam Dunk Contest and 34 years later, it is still talked about and mimicked but never truly replicated. It was inarguably the greatest dunk of Michael Jordan's illustrious career.
