NBA: Top 5 Dunkers who never participated in the Slam Dunk Contest

The crazy dunking, and the amazing athleticism which the NBA players show, steps up the level of the game of basketball. Though, there has been a trend that I have noticed with all these years of amazing dunk contests. A few years back, the dunk contest was a chance for the heavyweights of the game to beat each other and etch their name in the history books.

But nowadays, the big players usually take rest and prevent injuries by giving young guys a chance to showcase their talent. This gives the young players an opportunity to get attention and show what they are made off.

This is the smartest choice as a player and I, as a fan, want my best player to be safe for the rest of the season. But because of this, we have missed quite a good amount of great dunkers who never participated in the dunk contest. I am listing the Top 5 of those dunkers who never participated in the dunk contest.

Honorable Mention:

Anthony Davis:

One of the rarest talents in the NBA, Anthony Davis is 6'11 and has a wingspan of 2.27m. He played point guard in his high school, which is one of the reasons for him being one of the most talented big men in the league. Last season, he averaged 28.1 points and 2.6 blocks per game.

There is no doubt, Davis is a great dunker. He can throw it down with both the hands and can dunk from really far away as well. Although he has great dunking abilities, he has never participated in an NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Several injuries in his early career are one of the reasons for him not participating in the contest. But as an NBA fan, we would love to see him in a dunk contest.

#5 Kevin Garnett

I will tag Kevin Garnett as one of the "most intense" players to ever play in the NBA. Whether it was trash-talking or his amazing defensive skills, he would do anything and everything to beat his opponent on the court. This 15-times NBA All-Star was drafted directly from the high school and went on to become one of the best players to ever play in the league. If we talk about his dunking, he was a fierce dunker.

Irrespective of the fact that he was a great dunker, he never participated in the NBA Dunk contest.

Check out his top 10 dunks below:

#4 Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominating players to ever play in the NBA. He stood 7'1" tall and weighed around 150kg. He was too much to handle for the other players during his reign. He was so dominant during those times that the NBA had to bring back the Zone Defense which was illegal before. If we talk about off the court, he was very popular and gregarious man.

Shaq dunked over everybody who came in front of him. However, he never participated in a dunk contest. I personally believe that it must have been a precautionary measure so that the backboards don't break.

Check out the top 30 dunks of his career below:

#3 Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose was the youngest player ever to win an MVP award at the age of 22. He achieved this feat just after two years of becoming the "Rookie Of The Year". These awards speak for themselves. He took the NBA by storm and was unstoppable on the court. He was a beast and people usually call him Westbrook before Westbrook.

His dunking abilities and hang time was unbelievable. But unfortunately, that was all before he had an uncountable number of injuries.

Check out his top 10 dunks below:

#2 Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook aka "Mr Triple Double" is one of most explosive dunkers in the NBA. After every match, the highlight reels of his ferocious dunks are flocking over the internet. When he was asked about his participation in the dunk contest, he replied that he only dunks on people. Fair enough!

Last season he created an NBA record by averaging Triple-Double per game for the second straight season. There is no doubt why he is the successor of the Jordan Brand!

Check out his top 10 dunks below:

It would be very exciting to see BeastBrook breaking the ring in an NBA dunk contest but the chances of it are negligible.

#1 LeBron James

Finally, let's talk about one of the biggest legends of the game, LeBron James.

He is one of the biggest names in the world of Basketball. He entered the NBA in 2003 with a lot of hype. People were watching him from the very moment he started his career. There were a lot of expectations from him and criticism always followed him at each and every step. But he surpassed every expectation that was ever placed on him. He has always shut down his haters and will go down as one of the biggest players to ever play in the NBA.

LeBron James has been a fierce dunker throughout his career. It is really a disgrace that we have not seen him in a dunk contest. I don't think all these young players would stand a chance if the King decides to give the Dunk Contest a shot.

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