Picture this. A teen Kobe Bryant won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1997. Then the NBA felt the contest was waning, the 1998-99 lockout canceled the All-Star Weekend, the season resumed and basketball was having a wild time up north. The Toronto Raptors’ new superstar had a late start to his rookie season but made the most of it, throwing 360° windmill dunks or one-handed reverse layups, leading the once-struggling team to wins. The Rookie of the Year Award went to the Raptors’ newbie, Vince Carter, and the NBA thought ‘What if this guy was in the Slam Dunk Contest?’ And so they brought back one of the highlights of the All-Star Weekend.

“What the dunk contest did for me, overnight it changed my life,” said Vince Carter, 24 years after the iconic 2000 Slam Dunk contest, moments before his induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Carter soared into a first-ballot HoFer from the moment he arrived in the league. And he made the benchmark of the Slam Dunk Contest a 360-degree reverse windmill, between the legs, Dunk of Death.

The Lead-Up

The Slam Dunk Contest during the late 90s was not the same as it was in Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins’ era. Fans loved it but NBA players weren’t interested. Vince Carter was supposed to start his career in 1998, after a slam dunk-less All-Star Weekend. The lockout, however, postponed his NBA debut to 1999.

In 10 games, the Raptors rookie established himself as a high-flyer. He broke out the reverse 360° windmill and one-handed layups, rousing to the chants of Air Canada in the former Air Canada Center.

Next season, Carter was leading the Raptors to its first playoff season in 2000 when he made his first All-Star appearance, with his participation in the Slam Dunk Contest the most anticipated segment. Houston’s Steve Francis, Charlotte’s Ricky Davis, Detroit’s Jerry Stackhouse, and Philadelphia’s Larry Hughes competed. His Raptors teammate and cousin, Tracy McGrady, was both his opponent and assisted him during the contest. In five leaps, he inspired a generation of slam artists.

Vince Carter’s Iconic Performance

Ernie Johnson and Kenny “The Jet” Smith (who had three Slam Dunk appearances in his career) were calling the contest. Ahead of the show, Carter told Ernie that he has four dunks that no one has ever seen. He kicked off his first attempt with his best move from his rookie season – his signature 360° reverse windmill, in one attempt. It looked so much more smoother and higher without Chris Mullins getting dunked on. Kenny was screaming, “Let’s go home” after the first attempt and All-Stars in the stands were on their feet. Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett couldn’t lift their jaws off the floor. Spectators were holding up 10s everywhere right off the bat as he got a perfect 50.

Isiah Thomas, who brought the Raptors to Canada, had a “you won’t believe this” smirk when Carter came in from behind the rim for his second attempt. Another spin again that won the crowd but not a perfect 50. Kenny held out the 1 point because it didn’t match the literal high bar of the first dunk.

Carter literally bounced back with an assist from T-Mac, who casually bounced the ball to his cuz with perfect timing. Vince caught it, passed it between his legs, and slammed it in. Zeke couldn’t sit, stop smiling, or put his arms down while Kenny yelled, “It’s over!” Even Carter gestured at the camera, ‘It’s over,‘ and judges mobbed him to congratulate him after this 50-point spectacle.

He advanced into the finals with 100 points (The first-round score was based on a composite with the lowest score excluded) while T-Mac ended with a close 99 points and Francis had 95 heading into the finals of the contest.

For the first shot of the finale, he broke out a classic, ‘elbow on the rim’ dunk. In hindsight, he later said he was scared of hurting himself with that one but at least Shaq was mesmerized. In his second attempt, he took a “smart, safety dunk” as Kenny described it, leaping from the free-throw line, near levitating forward, and making a two-handed dunk. It got him his lowest score on the night, 48. But as Francis finished with 91 points and McGrady with 77, Air Canada was the 2000 Slam Dunk Champion.

The Aftermath

Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon’s mesmerizing dunks during the 2016 Dunk Contest are the only ones that have come close to the hype of the revived ’00 edition. The Human Highlight Reel himself, Dominique Wilkins ranked this contest at par with his and Michael Jordan’s showdown in 1985.

In 2018, both slam artists sat side by side as Carter explained why he never competed in the contest again. “I knew I could do it, but after a while — just like you, and I know you will agree to this — if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it against the best competition. I want the best athletes. Whoever you feel like is the best, let’s do it. If not, why do it? For what? That’s how you measure your greatness.” Wilkins agreed with his statement that their opponents made the show better.

That year, Larry Nance Jr., the son of Wilkins’ once formidable dunk rival, competed against rookie Donovan Mitchell in the Slam Dunk Contest. Mitchell did a close recreation of the ’00 360° dunk, an homage to Carter. Changed his life, Vince Carter says. Like, he has no idea.