One of the greatest to ever do it is celebrating a birthday today, as Michael Jordan turns 56.
Jordan’s birthday happens to overlap with the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, and this year’s event is especially meaningful for MJ since it takes place in Charlotte; Jordan is the majority owner of the city’s Hornets, and he played his college ball for the nearby University of North Carolina.
And, of course, there’s no better way to celebrate MJ’s birthdays than by looking back on some of his All-Star slams. The official NBA History account shared the full compilation of his slam dunk contest jams, and it’s staggering to see just how many of these have become iconic in the time since.
The game has changed since MJ’s time — the average player is more athletic than they used to be, and the dunk contest has trended towards more props and theatrics. We’ve seen players innovate upon MJ’s classics, like Zach LaVine’s between-the-legs twist on a free throw line dunk.
Still, what MJ did in his time was truly special, and it’s hard to argue that there are many other dunk contest performances since, if any at all, that will stand up to the time like MJ. It says plenty that dudes today are still out here paying homage to MJ in the dunk contest.
