The Atlanta Hawks don’t have a deep history of dunkers but at the top, there’s some of the best to ever do it. Here’s a look at the 15 best in franchise history.
The Atlanta Hawks haven’t been one of the winningest franchises in the NBA for nothing. Through 69 seasons, they’ve made appearances in 46 postseasons and won a championship back in the 1957-58 season as the St. Louis Hawks. Most of it has been due to the highlight reel lineup of dunkers to pass through the organization.
The Hawks haven’t had a large number of Slam Dunk Contest types of dunkers, but they’ve still managed to field a decent amount. Despite the changing face of the NBA to a 3-point friendly league, dunkers are still present. As evidenced by the first dunker on this list, flashy dunks are still a thing in the league today. Whether through pure power, alley-oops or otherwise, dunking is still a way of life in the NBA.
Dominique Wilkins is probably the first Hawks player to come to mind. Wilkins earned the nickname “The Human Highlight Film” for his above the rim mentality. There are plenty other dunkers, past, present and future that come to mind as well.
The smallest dunker to grace the stage for the Hawks was 5-foot-6 point guard Spud Webb. Webb took the NBA by storm when he won the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest. As luck would have it, he won over his teammate, Dominique Wilkins. Webb and Wilkins are just a few names to grace the list of top dunkers for the Hawks. Here’s a look at the 15 best dunkers in Hawks’ franchise history.
John Collins was only a rookie last year, but he starts the list off after a strong first season on the dunking front. Collins led the Hawks’ rotation last season with 107 dunks on 129 attempts. Dunks accounted for 26.6 percent of Collins’ shot attempts in his rookie season. Don’t expect that to change too much in year two.
Collins’ impressive athleticism was on full display in his rookie campaign. He was snubbed by the 2018 Slam Dunk Contest committee, but that should change after the rim-rattling assault he put on the rim in the Rising Stars Challenge.
He only scored 11 points but he wowed the crowd with dunks that only got better as the game progressed. By the fourth quarter, you almost wanted to include Collins as a write-in in last year’s contest.
Collins led all players on the 2017-18 roster in dunks as a rookie. That’s not likely to change, as he enters another season under a new coaching regime. Keep an eye out for him as a Dunk Contest participant in the near future.
Things weren’t all bad when Dwight Howard was a member of the Hawks. In his lone season with Atlanta, Howard was a force in the paint. He averaged 13.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest as their frontcourt beef so to speak during the 2016-17 season.
Howard had 173 dunks during the regular season, fourth in the NBA at the ripe age of 31, behind DeAndre Jordan, Rudy Gobert and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the rankings. He’s never been a flashy dunker, but that didn’t stop him from winning an NBA Slam Dunk Contest of his own back in 2008 as a member of the Orlando Magic.
Dunks accounted for 32.5 percent of Howard’s production with the Hawks. With his size, he’s more of a power dunker than anything else, but he’s still able to catch the ball around the rim as well.
The Hawks also made it to the NBA playoffs with Howard in the rotation in 2017. His role was limited against the Washington Wizards though (his current team, ironically), as the Hawks fell in six games in the first round.
Howard is far from his slam dunk contest-winning days, but if you’re under the rim, Howard will still put it on your head. The 7-footer had a short stint with the Hawks, but his impact was felt on numerous occasions.
Big man Nazr Mohammed had a short stay with the Hawks, but he developed into quite the dunker during his time with the team. In his first full season with the franchise, he produced 9.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game during the 2001-02 season. He became a formidable force in the paint alongside Shareef Abdur-Rahim. He averaged 3.0 offensive rebounds per contest that season.
Mohammed averaged 12.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game upon his arrival during the 2000-01 season, but he appeared in just 28 games. He finished that season with 24 dunks on the year. After that, his production went up from a dunking standpoint. He finished second on the team behind Abdur-Rahim with 58 dunks in the regular season.
Mohammed wasn’t that guy who was going to dunk on somebody, but when he got the ball in the paint, he wasn’t shy about throwing it down. His 58 dunks accounted for 42 percent of his shot attempts during the 2001-02 season.
The biggest issue for Mohammed was playing second fiddle behind big man Theo Ratliff. During the 2001-02 season, Ratliff missed all but three games and Mohammed’s production went up all around. When Ratliff returned in 2002-03, Mohammed finished with just 12 dunks.
Midway through the season, it was no surprise when Mohammed was traded to the New York Knicks. He was an athletic player on the offensive end, but he didn’t bring the same energy on defense as Ratliff, which ultimately led to his Atlanta departure.
Big man Moses Malone is one of a few Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers to grace this list. He spent three seasons with the Hawks in the latter part of his career. In seasons prior, he won the 1982-83 NBA Championship with the Philadelphia 76ers.
He also earned the NBA Finals MVP Award for his play that postseason. Malone would hit free agency and arrived in Atlanta to begin the 1988-89 season, his 12th year in the NBA.
Malone was a burden to bear in the post for every opponent he faced. Whether it was a sky-hook or a dunk, just know he was scoring on you at all costs. The three-time NBA MVP kept his All-Star appearance streak intact upon his arrival in Atlanta.
He made his last and final All-Star Game, his 12th in a row, by producing 20.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per contest during the 1988-89 season.
In three seasons, Malone anchored the Hawks to two postseason appearances. With his 6-foot-10 frame, he was a solid force alongside “The Human Highlight Film” Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins put up 26.2 points per contest himself with Malone in the rotation.
Malone’s prowess around the rim gave him a 10.7 win share before it was all said and done that year. The following season, Wilkins begin to take over that category, but Malone still made his presence felt down low for two more seasons in Atlanta.
Forward Al Harrington was part of a hopeful trio consisting of he, Josh Smith and Josh Childress that never really lived up to the hype. Harrington arrived in the 2004 offseason, joining rookies Childress and Smith with the hopes to leading them to the promised land.
By the time he arrived to the Hawks’ franchise, Harrington was entering his sixth year in the NBA and the prime of his career.
Things didn’t go quite as planned from a record point-of-view, but Harrington still did his best to contribute. Harrington averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per contest in his first season with the Hawks. He was third on the team in dunks with 81 behind the athletic freaks of Childress and Smith.
Harrington didn’t lead the team in dunks, but his ability to get to the rim and finish among the trees didn’t go unnoticed. During the 2005-06 season, Harrington averaged 18.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game through 76 appearances. He finished third on the team once again in dunks, finishing with just 47 jams.
The problem with the Hawks’ team wasn’t Harrington’s lack of scoring ability, but instead it was their inability to generate victories. They won just three games after the All-Star Break during Harrington’s first season.
Things improved slightly in his second season, as the team won 10 games after the All-Star Break in the following season. Before Harrington to could really get going, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers in the 2006 offseason. He still made his mark as one of the well-known rim rockers in his time in Atlanta.
Versatile forward Paul Millsap had quite the productive time in his four seasons with the Hawks. He made four All-Star appearances as a member of the team, averaging 17.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest.
Leading an all-around attack, Millsap led the Hawks in dunks during the 2013-14 season with 36 dunks. In season two, Al Horford took over the reigns as the leader in the paint with 93 dunks but Millsap was right behind with 48 slams. By the end of his time, Millsap posted 147 dunks across four seasons.
He averaged 36.8 dunks during his time with the Hawks. His averaged dipped due to lower production during the 2016-17 season. In his final season, he played mostly outside the paint given Dwight Howard’s presence on the inside.
Millsap brought a developed 3-point shot to the team as his time progressed with Atlanta. He made at least 70 3-pointers in each of his four seasons, averaging 75.5 3-pointers, doubling his dunk average and then some. He went 33.5 percent from 3-point land during his time with the Hawks.
His versatility was on full display throughout his tenure in Atlanta. Dunking just wasn’t the only skill that got him to four consecutive All-Star games. Millsap wasn’t shy about putting a guy or two on a poster, either. The Hawks could use some of Millsap’s ability now, that’s for sure. John Collins isn’t too bad though.
Center Theo Ratliff had quite the journeyman career in the NBA. During his time with the Hawks, albeit in a short stint, he was a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor. Ratliff spent just 137 games on the Atlanta roster, but he played his role well given the limited opportunity.
Prior to his arrival to Atlanta in 2001, he led the league in blocks per game (3.7) with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2000-01 season. That season he finished as the league’s block champion. He took home that award two more times as a member of the Hawks. Not only was he prone to dunking, but he also had a knack for blocking his opponents’ dunks around the rim as well.
In his first full season with the Hawks, blocks weren’t only his claim to fame. He recorded 57 dunks, just behind teammate Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Ratliff wasn’t the flashiest of dunkers but when given the opportunity, he was known to throw it down with authority.
The following season in 2003-04, Ratliff led the team in dunks with 53, as Abdur-Rahim took a different approach to the scoring load. For his efforts, he averaged 8.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks for the Hawks.
Unfortunately, Ratliff was ultimately traded along with Abdur-Rahim to the Portland Trail Blazers prior to the NBA trade deadline during the 2003-04 season. In 137 appearances, Ratliff managed to average 8.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game, while accumulating 110 dunks.
Kevin Willis made quite the name for himself with Atlanta. Willis spent his first 11 seasons in the NBA with Hawks. He took the rotation by storm with his one-handed and two-handed tomahawk dunks.
Much like Theo Ratliff, Willis was also a force on the glass for Atlanta. During the 1991-92 season, he led the team in rebounds per game with 15.5 per contest, second to only Detroit Pistons’ forward Dennis Rodman. Willis holds the sixth highest rebound per game average since the 1984-85 season with that feat. The 7-footer was something else.
Willis earned an All-Star nod for his performance during that year, also putting up 18.3 points and 2.1 assists per game. Opposing players certainly didn’t want to get in Willis’ way in the paint, or they’d pay the ultimate price. To go along with his double-double for the season, he also shot a career-high 80.4 percent from the free throw line. Not bad for a big guy.
Willis anchored quite the athletic group by the 1993-94 season. Dominique Wilkins, Stacey Augmon, Mookie Blaylock and Danny Manning along with Willis posted a record of 57-25. Willis was responsible for 10.2 of the team’s win share that year, tying with Blaylock. He averaged 19.1 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, proving to be a force in the paint.
The team tied for the best record in the East Conference while boasting one of their best rosters to date. Unfortunately, they fell in the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers. Willis was traded to the Miami Heat two games into the 1994-95 season. He returned to the Hawks later in his career during the 2004-05, but wasn’t nearly as impactful of a player the second time around in Atlanta.
Center Al Horford was another mainstay in the Hawks’ franchise from 2007 through the 2015-16 season. Horford was drafted third overall by the Hawks in the 2007 NBA Draft. His impact was felt right away as one of the Hawks’ better dunkers with his 6-foot-10 frame.
He recorded 68 dunks during his rookie year, fourth to the likes of Josh Smith, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams. As time went on, his presence in the paint only improved. By his third season, Horford recorded 94 dunks, including postseason play.
Horford hit a rough patch during the 2011-12 season, appearing in just 11 games due to injury, but he returned with a bang alongside Josh Smith in the rotation. Horford registered his first and only season of over 100 dunks with the Hawks upon his return in 2012-13. It was the first time Horford and Smith both recorded 100 dunks or more in the same season.
Horford’s dunking production took a hit when Smith departed in 2013-14. He put up a career-low 32 dunks with forward Paul Millsap in the rotation. After some adjusting, Horford’s ability to create posters went back up, as he finished with 93 dunks during the 2014-15 season. In his final season with the Hawks in 2015-16, Horford also put up 93 dunks. He didn’t eclipse 100 dunks often, but putting up over 90 in four of his nine seasons in Atlanta is nothing to scoff at.
Horford averaged 14.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest in his time with the Hawks. He averaged 79 dunks per season and continues to be a presence around the rim to this day with the Boston Celtics and then some.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim didn’t stay with the Hawks for very long, but from 2001-2004, he made his presence felt as one of the premier slashers in the NBA. Abdur-Rahim arrived to the Hawks in a 2001 offseason trade that sent Pau Gasol, Brevin Knight and Lorenzen Wright to the Vancouver Grizzlies.
He led the Hawks in scoring his first season (2001-02) in with 21.2 points per game. As their main offensive weapon, he led the team with 99 dunks. He ranked 17th in the league back during a time when a guy by the name of Shaquille O’Neal was running things in the paint. Shaq finished with 329 dunks that season.
Abdur-Rahim earned the only All-Star nod of his career during the 2001-02 season. He also produced 9.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest. The following season, he registered 93 dunks while putting up 19.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per contest.
Abdur-Rahim was well ahead of his time in terms of his ability to get to the rim and score at will. At 6-foot-9, he had the size of a power forward, but the skills of a versatile guard. He had the innate ability to grab the rebound and take the ball the length of the floor to the rim at any moment.
By the 2003-04 season, the Hawks traded Abdur-Rahim along with Dan Dickau and Theo Ratliff to the Portland Trail Blazers for Wesley Person and Rasheed Wallace. He was evidence of what could have been with different players around him.
6-foot-8 swingman Josh Childress was quite the commodity coming out of Stanford University. He was taken sixth overall in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Hawks after a solid three-year college career that saw him excel as both a high-flyer and a 3-point threat.
During his rookie campaign, Childress recorded 83 dunks, including a poster over 7-foot-6 future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming. As a rookie, he averaged 10.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while recording 83 dunks as a reserve.
He kept pace with teammate Josh Smith in his second season, registering 71 dunks as Smith recorded 75 slams. During that season, Childress put up 10.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game through 74 appearances. In 2007-08, he finished with a career-high 80 dunks. Childress produced 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest through 76 appearances despite pulling off zero starts.
Ironically, that was Childress’ last season in the league in 2007-08, as he took his talents to Greece for two seasons. Overseas life it was. Childress never found his footing upon his return to the NBA, playing for the Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans before bowing out after the 2013-14 season.
He averaged 71.5 dunks per season through 2004-08. Despite not starting, he averaged 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 31.3 minutes per contest in his time with the Hawks.
As the list gets closer to the top, we approach the part where dunkers are using their skills in-game and during All-Star Weekend. The Hawks have had four players in franchise history compete in the Slam Dunk Contest. Forward Stacey Augmon was a one time participant in the 1992 Slam Dunk Contest.
Augmon was selected ninth overall by the Hawks in the 1992 NBA Draft out of the prestigious UNLV. Augmon made waves with Greg Anthony and Larry Johnson as part of a lethal college basketball threat. Upon his arrival, right away he grew to be a fan-favorite from a dunker’s perspective. He wasn’t shy about attacking the rim and putting whoever was in his way on a poster.
He averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game on his way to first-team All-Rookie honors. By his third season, Augmon was coming into his own for the Hawks. He averaged 14.8 points and carried the team to 9.7 win shares during the 1993-94 season.
His role dwindled slightly after the 1993-94 season, as he put up just 9.6 field goals per contest. He still put up 12.7 points per game through 77 appearances, but he started in just 49 games. By the 1997 offseason, the Hawks shipped him off to the Detroit Pistons. Augmon developed into quite the rim rocker in his time with the Hawks but in order to improve, changes had to be made.
6-foot-9 forward Josh Smith was a mainstay on the Hawks roster as soon as he arrived. He was selected 17th overall by the Hawks in the 2004 NBA Draft and right away, fans took notice of his knack to play above the rim. Smith was selected to two Slam Dunk Contests during his time in Atlanta.
As a rookie, Smith averaged 9.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.7 assists per contest and converted 114 dunks. By his second season in the NBA, he was selected to be a participant in the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest. He took home the championship in his first dunk contest, winning the first Dunk Contest as a Hawks’ player since 1990.
Smith beat out J.R. Smith, Chris Andersen and Amar’e Stoudemire to take home the crown. He returned the next season to defend his crown, but ultimately lost out to Nate Robinson.
As far as his dunking on the court goes, Smith managed to record at least 100 dunks in all but two seasons for the Hawks. He recorded a career-high 123 in his final year with Atlanta, leading a lethal combination of himself and Al Horford on the interior.
As one of most athletic players to come out of high school, it didn’t take Smith long to pick up the nickname “J-Smoove” for his innate ability to play above the rim with limited effort. Unfortunately for him, nine seasons were enough before he moved on to Detroit in the 2013 offseason.
Spud Webb measured at just 5-foot-6 at the point guard, but that didn’t stop him from playing above the rim for much of his NBA career. Webb was a three-time Slam Dunk Contest participant during the 1985-86 season,1987-88 season and 1988-89 season. Despite his small frame, Webb wasn’t shy about getting to the rim. In fact, he won the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest over teammate Dominique Wilkins.
Webb and Wilkins had an epic duel for the Slam Dunk title back during the 1986 All-Star Weekend. In a contest where Wilkins figured he had the game won, Webb saved his best dunk for last, sealing the victory with a self alley-oop. Despite his small stature, he took him the championship from Dominique Wilkins, an equally talented dunker at the same token.
Webb took the league by storm when he was selected 87th overall in the 1985 NBA Draft out of North Carolina State. He grew into his role as a reserve during his rookie season, averaging 7.8 points, 4.3 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest through 79 appearances.
He wasn’t known for doing a lot of his dunks in-game, but his victory over Dominique Wilkins certainly raised his profile. By the 1990-91 season, Webb started in 64 of the 75 appearances he made, averaging 13.4 points, 5.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per contest.
Dominique Wilkins is the most decorated dunker in Hawks’ franchise history. Wilkins was a five-time Dunk Contest participant and two-time Dunk Contest champion. He leads all Hawks players in Dunk Contest appearances, appearing in the 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990 Slam Dunk Contests. He also leads the team in most Dunk Contest victories won with two, winning the 1985 and 1990 Dunk Contest.
He is one of only five players who have won the Dunk Contest twice. The other four are Harold Miner, Jason Richardson, Zach LaVine and Michael Jordan. Wilkins set the bar rather high back in the ’80s and remains one of best dunkers in the history of the NBA.
Wilkins was a monster with the ball in his hands with his 6-foot-7, 200-pound frame. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his play in 2006. He put up a career-high 30.3 points per game during the 1985-86 season, taking home the league’s scoring title at the same time.
The following season (1986-87), Wilkins generated a career-high win share of 12.2. The more he played, the more the things he did seemed to defy the laws of gravity. Wilkins was certainly up there with the likes of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson with his abilities. He made nine consecutive All-Star appearances from 1985-1994.
It helped that he was a solid free throw shooter as well. In 12 seasons with the Hawks, he shot 81.3 percent from the free throw line, so fouling him wasn’t much of an option either if the dunks got out of hand.