Sprite Slam Dunk Contest Trendsetters - Dwight Howard (#6)

There was Magic in the air during the 2008 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest (presented by Sprite) in N’awlins, Lousiana. Donning a Superman cape and magnetic smile, Dwight Howard catapulted himself into the annals of Dunk Contest history with a slew of sick, sick slams. (DH placed second in the event when it was held in Las Vegas in ’07, too.) But what makes Howard so special? Surely, Vince Carter, Dee Brown, and Nate “The Great” Robinson deserve their spot in any “Dunker” discussion, but the Orlando Magic Center has two things goin’ for him. At just a shade under 7’0”, no one even close to D’s has captured the crown with such proficiency. And Before Dwight, the slamma-jamma showdown was merely a competition of brawn, athleticism, and authority. AD, (After Dwight) the competition has become one of props, flair, and superhero alter-egos!

Peep our top ten list of the Top 10 Slam Dunk Contest Trendsetters (presented by Sprite).

Share your thoughts and debate our choices of the top 10 (Sprite) Slam Dunk Contest Trendsetters by clicking below!

Sprite Slam Dunk Contest Trendsetters - Dwight Howard (#6)

Alright, so it wasn’t a dunk. There’s no way around it. With Howard sporting Superman garb, he rose up from inside the free throw line, extended his arms as far out as possible, and tossed the ball down into the peach basket. Afterwards, Mr. Howard stood tall like Christopher Reeve before the accident and accepted his trophy. Thankfully, his performance (and past performances) in the Dunk Contest were special. All told, the ManChild has stuck a sticker at the top of the backboard (which stands at 12’6”) and has thrown the ball off the backside of the board and wind milled around it for a thunderous bing-bong. Dwight Howard is also participating in the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest in Phoenix this weekend. What’s he got up his cape?

Sprite Slam Dunk Contest Trendsetters - Dwight Howard (#6)

During his two-year Dunk Contest tenure, Dwight has rolled with the Three Stripes, sporting ASW versions of the adidas TS Pro Model and adidas TS BOUNCE Artillery. To learn more about the NBA’s top dunking trendsetters, please visit our Top Slam Dunk Contest Trendsetters series.

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21 Comments

  4. Vince Carter should have been before Dwight Howard, although he does have bounce, still a ignorant argument to compare these 2 guys.

    Reply

  5. Hell to the Nahh!!!! Dwight Howard over Vincesanity!

    "You guys" – who ever you are – still got Dr. J, MJ, Spud Webb, Shawn Kemp, Shaq, Darryl Dawkins, and so many more to go.

    Reply

  7. I love this website…but how are you going to tell me that Dwight Howard is better than Vince Carter. Howard didnt even dunk the ball on his Superman dunk!

    Reply

  8. You guys are right, it wasnt a dunk, but this is for the top ten "trendsetters". Can't deny that he did set a huge trend for years to come with that, um…lay-up / floater (which i have seen done better by tony parker and the JET.

    Reply

  9. if this is really a list about the effect of a player in a dunk contest and they started trends or sold shoes..vc's tai chis versus dhoward's ts pro models cmon man…people to this day still remember the tai chis.not to mention the shox bb4's vince wore in the olympics the same year.hell dee brown should have been ahead of dwight if it was about trend setting because of how many reebok pumps dee sold after his contest.ill put up dee browns reeboks and vc's tai chis over dwights ts pro models any day now and even later on.

    Reply

  10. No way Carter should be where you guys put him…. In all other lists he is top 3 and don't even put him in the top 5…. Carter took you out of your seats on each dunk… Howard just was like well that's creative

    Reply

  11. This site just lost all credibility. PERIOD.

    Oh maybe young burg and yall should do a collab.

    Reply

  13. cmon guys VC should be upthere. If u can recall his first dunk he did a 360 reverse jam & the building went crazy. Honestly, after that All-Star Weekend I'm not anymore impressed with the new dunkers because VC set a new standard. Now dunkers be using props to express creativity VC didn't use

    any. So u might consider of editing your list.

    Reply

  14. the superman dunk wasn't real but still hard to do.

    still hard to make.

    but still VC should of been in the top 3.

    if i see kobe ahead of VC, this is an outrage!

    Reply

  17. it's not by who has the best dunk it's by the person that created a trend which means something people would love to do over and over at the slam dunk competition.

    Reply

  18. So where back to this sneakerfiles…. Dwight is an innovator with his dunks…. But so is Vince Carter much more so than Dwight…. The Superman isn't a dunk…. It's what Lebron did in a commercial as a cleveland brown smh

    Reply

  21. Wow this is Stupid. D Howard top 6.. you got to be kidding me. VC aka half man half amazing is #7. Spirit is stupid for letting the best man down. Come on, look what happened at the Olympic, VC jumped over that 7 foot dude and no one can beat that. Even with that dunk, it gives him recognition towards everything. you guys suck!

    Reply