It's the play that makes crowds jump to their feet, players jump from their benches and people who are watching at home jump off the couch and yell, "Holy crap, did you see that?" It's the slam-dunk - the most electrifying and exciting play in basketball. Whether it's a power dunk that nearly breaks the backboard or an acrobatic aerial maneuver where the player twists and turns in the air, a slam dunk gets players and fans fired up and can change the momentum of the game.



The high point of a basketball match is a slam-dunk and the NBA basketball dunks are by far the most exciting shots hit on any basketball courts. These dunks, executed by NBA stars, bring out the best from the crowds. They roar, they cheer, and they applaud every basketball dunk. The players too love the dunks, and have come up with different dunking styles.

On of the most popular NBA dunks are skywalking. These NBA stars, also known as skywalkers or aerial artists, literally hang in the air before releasing the ball. Some of the well-known exponents of this form of dunking are Kobe Bryant of Los Angeles Lakers, rookie Jason Richardson of the Golden State Warriors and Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets. These dunk stars generally play as guard or small forward. They are NBA's showmen, and add greatly to the game's crowd appeal. Two other Skywalkers whose name inspires awe are Clyde Drexler, nicknamed "Clyde the Glide" and Toronto Raptors star Vince Carter.

Then there are power dunkers. These players use their strength to dunk the ball with immense force. They are the team's "big men". They dunk through and over their opponents. Some of the NBA's famous power dunkers include Antonio Davis of the Toronto Raptors, Chris Webber of the Sacramento Kings, Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Rasheed Wallace of the Portland Trail Blazers.

These dunkers mostly played as the power forward or center. Their dunking feats are legendary. In fact, Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq used to dunk so hard that he actually broke the basketball backboard at times. Darryl Dawkins was another center that broke backboards with his monster hits.

Jumping is another form associated with dunking, and the name most commonly referred with this form of dunking is that of the former NBA guard Spud Webb. In vertical dunking a player jumps vertically from a stationary position before making a dunk.