Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

Kobe Bryant may not be the athlete he once was, but throughout his career, he has shown to be one of the finest the NBA has ever seen. His amazing collection of highlight-reel dunks is proof to this point.

As we celebrate Kobe’s 36th birthday, we have decided to take all of the fans down memory lane with a list of top-10 Kobe Bryant dunks of all-time.

This list covers all styles of dunks as Kobe has produced some of the most amazing highlights in NBA history. Because of that, it was extremely difficult to cut this list down to only 10. So we will start with a couple that just missed the cut.

Honorable Mentions: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

Honorable Mentions

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

Fast Break Slam Over Chris Paul

A personal favorite of mine, and definitely one of his more recent classics. Chris Paul’s face as he is getting dunked on is priceless. Unfortunately, this barely missed the cut due to there being better facials in games the Lakers didn’t get killed in.

Slam Dunk Contest Through the Legs

This was the dunk that put Kobe on the map to the mainstream world. He was barely 18 at the time, but he stole the show at 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. This was a great dunk, but also more of a sentimental memory of Kobe, as he has had far more ferocious dunks during live games.

Pre-season slam over Ben Wallace

Well before he was a multiple-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner, Ben Wallace was just another victim in Kobe Bryant’s highlight reel. This was the toughest to omit from the top-10 but the fact that it was a pre-season game gave others a slight edge.

And now…on to the countdown

10: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

10. Kobe Seals Game, MVP, with Double-Clutch Reverse
Crime Date: April 11, 2008
Scene of the Crime: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Victim(s): The Rim, Chris Paul’s MVP Candidacy
Accomplice(s): None
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

In the year 2008, Kobe Bryant had re-established his dominance over the NBA, leading the Lakers to one of the top records in the NBA, and finding himself at the forefront of MVP discussions.

A late season matchup with the Charlotte Hornets put him face-to-face with his biggest competitor, Chris Paul, who also had the Hornets in front of the Lakers in the race for top seed in the Western Conference.

The Lakers were dominant from the start, proving that they were the superior team in the West, and in the fourth quarter Kobe decided to cement his MVP vote in a big way. A stray rebound was tipped towards Kobe, and with no one in front of him Kobe exploded for a ridiculous double-clutch, backwards dunk.

The dunk itself was ridiculous and it did contribute to Bryant solidifying his only MVP, but the fact that it was not over or around someone keeps it down at this level.

9: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

9. Kobe Turns Back The Clock vs. Hawks
Crime Date: March 3, 2013
Scene of the Crime: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Victim(s): Josh Smith aka J-Smooth
Accomplice(s): None
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

The 2013 season was not in any way going the way the Lakers intended it to. Expected to be a title contender, the Lakers were struggling just to make the playoffs, but Kobe was determined to ensure the Lakers see the postseason.

Late in this game against the Hawks, the Lakers trailed by a point, and badly needed a win to get back to .500. Kobe found himself matched up with Josh Smith, one of the best, most athletic defenders in the NBA.

Kobe would drive to the basket as Smith was right on his shoulder. But Kobe would not be stopped as he rose up and despite the 6’9 Smith’s best attempts, throw down a ferocious dunk to send the Staples Center crowd into a frenzy.

This dunk gets extra points because Kobe wasn’t supposed to be able to do something like this at his age, especially over someone like Smith who owns a 7’0 wingspan. But Kobe has conquered something even taller than this…

8: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

8. Baseline Jam Over Yao Ming
Crime Date: February 18, 2003
Scene of the Crime: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Victim(s): Yao Ming aka The Great Wall
Accomplice(s): Rick Fox
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

At 7’5 and 300 pounds, very few rookies in the history of the NBA were as imposing as Yao Ming. Many wanted to challenge the man known as ‘The Great Wall,’ but everyone was turned away by the massive big man. But Kobe was no ordinary man.

Kobe would use a perfect Rick Fox screen to shed lockdown defender James Posey. Cuttino Mobley tried to provide some help, but he couldn’t get to the baseline quick enough.

That left Kobe one-on-one with Yao at the rim. Yao offered resistance, but Kobe rose over the outstretched arm, showing that no man, regardless of how tall, could stop young Kobe from finishing at the rim.

Kobe’s dunk over Yao is consistently brought up as in the pantheon of great Kobe dunks simply because of Yao’s size. However, there were other dunks that were more directly over a player, or had higher degrees of difficulty.

7: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

7. Windmill Over Latrell Sprewell
Crime Date: February 6, 2003
Scene of the Crime: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Victim(s): Latrell Sprewell aka Spree
Accomplice(s): None
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

Easily one of his most popular dunks of all-time, Kobe made a statement at the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden. His victim, Latrell Sprewell was one of the top wing players in the league at the time.

But Kobe was cold-blooded and ruthless, with no regard for human life. He would blow by Sprewell on the baseline, jumping from one end of the rim, and finishing on the other side with a quick windmill under the basket for good measure.

The dunk was undoubtedly an impressive feat, the degree of difficulty was excellent, and making this happen at Madison Square Garden makes this even more memorable.

Ultimately, it falls this low on the count of there being dunks that were either in more meaningful games, or over bigger, more imposing defenders.

6: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

6. Emphatic Throwdown Over Emeka Okafor
Crime Date: April 26, 2011
Scene of the Crime: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Victim(s): Emeka Okafor
Accomplice(s): Pau Gasol
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

From the moment he stepped into the NBA, Emeka Okafor was known as one of the league’s premier shot blockers. Though he never became the star some projected, he was one of the league’s elite interior defenders for a number of years.

In 2011, the Lakers faced a feisty New Orleans Hornets team in the first round of the playoffs. They were shockingly able to split the first four games of the series, leading to a crucial Game 5 at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant had begun relying less on his athleticism at this point in his career, but he still had some springs when necessary. Pau Gasol would make a quick pass to a wide-open Kobe at the top of the key.

Kobe took one dribble before elevating, and cocking his arm all the way back before throwing down a thunderous slam over Okafor. The dunk energized the team, and the crowd, as the Lakers would go on to win the game and the series.

The slam is one of the best of Kobe’s later career, but ultimately just missed out on making the top-5 despite being one of my personal favorites.

5: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

5. Posterization of Steve Nash
Crime Date: April 26, 2006
Scene of the Crime: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Victim(s): Steve Nash aka Nashty
Accomplice(s): Lamar Odom
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

It all started with a Luke Walton missed jumper, as the shot clock expired. Lamar Odom would beat Shawn Marion to the rebound, diving on the floor before finding Kobe.

Kobe would quickly drive by Raja Bell, before encountering Steve Nash attempting to take a charge at the rim. But Kobe wasn’t having any of it as he rose above Nash, slamming it down with force and hanging on the rim for good measure.

This dunk is one of the most memorable in Kobe’s history. The stage also elevates this dunk as it was in the playoffs against a very good Phoenix Suns team. This dunk was the punctuation mark as the Lakers stole Game 2 on the road.

Surprisingly, this wasn’t even Kobe’s best moment of this series, thanks to heroics in Game 4. But the dunk remains on every Kobe highlight reel. Ultimately it loses a couple points because it’s on Steve Nash as opposed to a big man known for being a shot-blocker…

4: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

4. Baptism of Dwight Howard
Crime Date: November 12, 2004
Scene of the Crime: TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, FL
Victim(s): Dwight Howard aka Superman
Accomplice(s): Lamar Odom
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

It was an early season game. Only the sixth career game for the top pick in the draft, Dwight Howard. He had no clue what he was getting himself into. In the words of Kevin Hart: ‘He wasn’t ready.’

Kobe got a great screen from Lamar Odom that allowed him to get a step on DeShawn Stevenson. Pat Garrity tried to cut him off but Kobe blew right by him leaving Howard alone at the rim as Kobe approached.

Kobe rose up and before Howard even realized what happened, his face disappeared as Kobe threw down the vicious dunk on top of him.

This is a special dunk as it is over a three-time defensive player of the year who has averaged more than two blocks per game throughout his career, though admittedly in his rookie season.

This is another classic poster for Kobe, this time over a true shot-blocker. But ultimately, there were a couple others that are ingrained in our minds just a little bit more.

3: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

3. One-Handed Throwdown vs. Nets
Crime Date: February 5, 2013
Scene of the Crime: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Victim(s): Gerald Wallace aka Crash, Kris Humphries
Accomplice(s): None
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

There was desperation in the air. The Lakers were trying to turn their season around and make a playoff push. Furthermore, they were trying to hold on to a game they led by double-digits in the first half.

Tied at 80, Kobe had the ball above the three-point line as Gerald Wallace, one of the better defenders in the NBA for years, stood in front of him. Kobe would drive by Wallace and rise up as Kris Humphries offered resistance at the rim.

Neither Humphries or Wallace could do anything as Kobe slammed it down through both of their arms as the Brooklyn crowd roared in approval of Bryant’s throwback jam.

It was almost unfair as the 34-year-old Bryant turned back the clock with authority. But this dunk was so special because people had wondered whether Kobe could still play at the level he had in previous years.

To do this over two people at his age was making a statement that Kobe Bryant wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

2: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

2. Behind The Back One-Hander vs. Nuggets
Crime Date: February 11, 2003
Scene of the Crime: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Victim(s): Vincent Yarbrough
Accomplice(s): Robert Horry
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

It’s 2003 and Kobe Bryant has begun establishing himself as one of the brightest young stars in all of basketball, but the Lakers were struggling. It was time for Kobe to show why he was a different breed. The result is one of the greatest plays anyone had ever seen.

In the third quarter, the Lakers were beginning to pull away from the Nuggets, but a headline still needed to be made and Kobe was the one to provide it. Nuggets backup Chris Whitney made his second free throw and Kobe darted down the court. Robert Horry quickly took the ball out of the net and launched a Aaron Rodgers-like pass the length of the court.

Kobe would catch the ball, take a dribble, and in one motion put the ball behind his back as he spun away from Vincent Yarbrough, then rise up for the one-handed slam over Yarbrough.

The skill it took to pull off that move was unreal. Very few players have the talent, confidence, and awareness to make that happen, but Kobe did. Poor Yarbrough will always be remembered for failing to stop the play from happening.

This play, as a whole, is arguably Kobe’s greatest play, but the dunk itself wasn’t quite his best, leading hence why it falls behind this one unreal dunk…

1: Lakers Nation Countdown: Kobe Bryant’s Top-10 Dunks

1. Double Pump Windmill vs. Timberwolves
Crime Date: April 20, 2003
Scene of the Crime: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Victim(s): Kevin Garnett aka The Big Ticket, Rasho Nesterovic
Accomplice(s): Shaquille O’Neal, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher
Eyewitness Statement:

DUNKS: Honorable Mentions | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

The Lakers had made the playoffs, but awaiting them was a tough Minnesota Timberwolves team led by All-NBA 1st Team and All-Defensive first team big man Kevin Garnett, one of the best defenders in the history of the NBA.

The series was tied at two games apiece, and the Lakers knew they needed to win Game 5 on the road. They played like it from the beginning, but in the third quarter the Lakers really began pouring it on, and everything was punctuated with one swift move from Kobe.

The Lakers threw the ball down low to Shaq who would kick it out to Robert Horry. Quick ball movement led to the ball finding Kobe on the baseline with Garnett on him. Kobe showed no fear as he drove the ball straight to the rim as another seven-footer, Rasho Nesterovic approached as well.

But stopping Kobe was impossible. He would rise, use a slight windmill and go under the rim to slam it down over both big men to punctuate a dominant victory.

No Bryant dunk showcased the skill level, degree of difficulty, big-game situation, pure force, and level of defender that this one dunk did. This was Kobe at his best and not a person on the planet could stop him.