7 Most Iconic NBA All-Star Skills Contest Moments Ever

Most NBA All-Star highlights fade into the montage. These didn’t. These were the nights that hijacked the weekend and lingered long after the confetti fell.

Today, All-Star Weekend can feel like an exhibition wrapped in branding. But these moments — whether they came in the gritty, competitive years or the social-media era — forced people to pay attention. They weren’t just clips. They were the stories everyone was still debating the next day.

#1) Vince Carter Ends the Debate | 2000 Slam Dunk Contest

The dunk contest had been on life support. No event was held in 1998 or 1999. The NBA brought it back for All-Star Weekend in Oakland, hoping somebody — anybody — would remind people why the contest mattered. What they got instead was a 23-year-old Toronto Raptor who showed up late, scrapped his entire planned routine on the fly, and delivered the single greatest individual performance in contest history.

The Moment: Carter opened with a reverse 360 windmill that earned a perfect 50 and set the tone for what became a full takeover. A between-the-legs alley-oop off a bounce pass from cousin Tracy McGrady — improvised after a botched first attempt — drew the now-immortal declaration: arms crossed, mouth to the camera, it’s over. 

Then came the honey dip: Carter soaring so high he jammed his entire forearm through the rim up to the elbow and just hung there. Three perfect 50s out of five dunks. Final score: 198. Steve Francis finished second with 186 and it wasn’t remotely close.

Why It Still Hits: Carter didn’t just win the dunk contest — he resurrected it. The event had a pulse again because one man made gravity look optional on national television. Every February since, when the NBA tries to sell the dunk contest, the footage they reach for first is from Oakland. The fact that he never returned to defend the title only adds to the mythology. One night. One crown. No sequel necessary.

By the Numbers: 3 perfect 50s across 5 dunks | Final score of 198 | Every dunk completed on the first attempt except the McGrady alley-oop

#2) Michael Jordan vs. Dominique Wilkins | 1988 Slam Dunk Contest

It had been three years since MJ and Nique shared a dunk contest stage. Injuries kept them apart in ’86 and ’87. Now, with the 1988 All-Star Weekend in Chicago — Jordan’s house — the two highest-volume scorers in the league were finally going head-to-head again. The defending champion had the crowd. The challenger had the power. Everyone knew something historic was about to happen.

The Moment: Jordan and Wilkins traded haymakers all night. Nique attacked the rim with violence — windmills, tomahawks, a self-pass off the backboard that looked like he launched from a trampoline. Jordan answered with elegance and hang time, floating through reverses and cradle dunks that seemed to pause mid-air. 

Heading into the final round, Wilkins held the lead. Then his two-handed windmill — a dunk most people would score a 50 — got a controversial 45. The door cracked open. Jordan walked to the far baseline. The crowd stood. Dr. J, sitting courtside next to Mike Tyson, told him to go the length of the floor and take off from the free-throw line. He did. Perfect 50. Title secured, 147–145.

Why It Still Hits: This is the dunk contest that made the dunk contest appointment television. Star vs. star. Prime vs. prime. Home court drama. And a controversy that Wilkins still brings up decades later — Jordan himself once told Wilkins at a dinner years later that he won. The scoring debate only deepened the legend. It’s the NBA’s version of Ali-Frazier, except with windmills.

By the Numbers: Final-round margin of 147–145 | Jordan’s free-throw line dunk scored a perfect 50 | Wilkins’ final dunk received a debated 45

#3) Zach LaVine vs. Aaron Gordon | 2016 Slam Dunk Contest

The dunk contest had been coasting on nostalgia fumes for years. Big names kept declining invitations. Then two second-year players — LaVine defending his 2015 title, Gordon looking to announce himself — walked into the Air Canada Centre in Toronto and staged the most competitive duel the event had ever seen. They grew up on the same AAU circuit, faced each other in the Pac-12, and were drafted weeks apart in 2014. The familiarity showed.

The Moment: They separated from the field immediately and started trading perfect 50s like counterpunches. Gordon launched over Orlando’s mascot Stuff — riding a hoverboard, no less — snatching the ball off its head and flushing it in one motion. LaVine answered with a self-lob 360 from deep. Gordon threw down a between-the-legs jam over the mascot that might be the single best dunk ever performed in the contest. 

LaVine responded with a windmill from the free-throw line. Two overtime rounds. Six consecutive perfect 50s between them — a record. The contest only ended when LaVine pulled out a between-the-legs dunk from the foul line that he had literally never attempted before, on a suggestion from fellow contestant Will Barton.

Why It Still Hits: Carter’s 2000 performance was a solo exhibition. Jordan-Wilkins was a heavyweight title fight. LaVine-Gordon was a war of attrition between two guys who simply refused to stop escalating. The degree of difficulty on the final four dunks exceeded anything the contest had produced in its history. Dominique Wilkins himself said they should have split the trophy.

By the Numbers: LaVine’s total score: 299 out of a possible 300 | 6 consecutive perfect 50s (record) | First-ever double-overtime in dunk contest history

#4) Spud Webb Shocks the World | 1986 Slam Dunk Contest

Michael Jordan was out with an injury. Dominique Wilkins, the defending champion, was the overwhelming favorite in Dallas. The field included several traditional high-flyers in the 6’4″ to 6’8″ range. And then there was Spud Webb — a 5’7″ rookie point guard on Wilkins’ own Hawks roster. A man who couldn’t even palm the basketball. His teammate had never seen him dunk in practice. His coach later admitted Webb told Wilkins he “never had anything prepared” as a psychological ploy. Webb wasn’t just undersized. He was invisible — until he wasn’t.

The Moment: Webb opened with a reverse dunk that nearly bounced off his own head. The crowd laughed. Then they stopped laughing. A 360. A one-handed tomahawk. An elevator two-handed double pump. Each dunk landed cleaner and higher than the last. 

In the final round against Wilkins, Webb posted two perfect 50s — including a reverse two-handed jam off a lob bounce from the floor — and beat the defending champion in his own backyard. Dallas went berserk. Wilkins could only shake his head.

Why It Still Hits: There are upset victories, and then there’s a 5’7″ man who can’t palm a basketball beating the Human Highlight Film in a dunking competition. Webb didn’t just win — he rearranged what people believed was physically possible. The image of the smallest man on the court flying above the rim became one of the NBA’s most enduring underdog stories. He’s still the shortest dunk contest champion in history. Nobody else is close.

By the Numbers: 5’7″ vs. Wilkins’ 6’8″ — a 13-inch height difference in the final | Two perfect 50s in the championship round | Prize money: $12,500 — roughly one-sixth of his annual salary

#5) Stephen Curry’s Record-Setting Round | 2015 Three-Point Contest

The field was stacked — Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Korver, J.J. Redick, Marco Belinelli, James Harden, Wesley Matthews, and Curry. It was widely considered the deepest three-point contest roster ever assembled. Curry had entered three previous times and gone home empty each time. 

This was also the first year the format allowed shooters to place a rack of money balls at any station — a wrinkle that would prove decisive. And underneath the basketball drama, Curry had written the name of Deah Shaddy Barakat, a shooting victim from his home state of North Carolina, on his sneakers.

The Moment: Curry advanced to the final round with 23 points. Irving went first and posted 17. Then Curry stepped up at the Barclays Center and caught fire in a way that made the Brooklyn crowd rise out of their seats in real time. He rattled off 13 consecutive makes — the second-longest streak in contest history — and finished with 27 points in the final round, a new record at the time. Thompson, shooting last with the pressure fully stacked, could only manage 14.

Why It Still Hits: This wasn’t just a shooting contest win. It was the coronation of the three-point revolution going mainstream. Curry was in the middle of a season where the Warriors would go 67–15 and win the championship. The Splash Brothers era was just igniting. Watching Curry drain 13 straight felt less like a contest performance and more like a thesis statement on where the NBA was headed. The three-pointer wasn’t a fallback anymore. It was the whole offense. And Curry proved it on the biggest shooting stage the league has.

By the Numbers: 27 points in the championship round (then-record) | 13 consecutive makes | First Golden State player to win the three-point contest

Honorable Mentions

Dwight Howard’s Superman Moment | 2008 Slam Dunk Contest

Was it the most technically difficult dunk ever performed? No. Was it the most theatrical? Without question. Howard ripped open his jersey to reveal a Superman shirt, received an alley-oop from across the court, and threw it down while wearing a cape. 

The degree of difficulty was secondary to the spectacle — and that was exactly the point. Howard understood something that night: the dunk contest isn’t just about dunking. It’s about creating an image. The Superman cape became his brand for a decade. It spawned a generation of costume-era dunk contest performances and remains one of the most memed moments in All-Star history.

Larry Bird’s Three-Peat | 1986–1988 Three-Point Contest

The swagger alone belongs in a museum. Bird reportedly walked into the locker room before the 1988 contest, looked around at his competitors, and asked who was finishing second. He then won his third consecutive three-point title — a feat no one has matched since. But here’s the nuance: the format was shorter, the scoring was lower, and the visual drama didn’t match what later contests would produce. Bird’s dominance was mythic, and his confidence remains the gold standard for All-Star Weekend trash talk. As a pure storytelling moment, it’s untouchable. As a visual spectacle, it belongs to a different era.