Kevin Garnett once pointed out that their era was much more physical, and today’s players wouldn’t last in that. “If I’m being honest, bro. I don’t think anybody in this generation could have played like 20 years ago,” KG said. And one of the big reasons was players weren’t exactly friendly with their opponents. Stepping into the league back then was like walking into a battlefield. “Older guys who trying to either fight you, punk you… it was a real caveman. I can’t even speak to it because you was in it, and you had to deal with it.” Kevin Garnett said, There were no complaints, no running to the refs—it was a “man-up” league, and every night was a test. But how is it now?

But then, something changed. And surprisingly, it wasn’t some league-wide initiative or a rule tweak. It was the 2000 All-Star Dunk Contest. “If I’m being honest, Jay all can actually attest to this cuz back in the league it wasn’t so buddy-buddy,” KG said. Players kept their distance, especially if they had to match up soon. But during the contest, they found themselves caught up in the moment, vibing with each other instead of sizing each other up.

And it was Steve Francis who set the tone. “Yes, friend threw it up and we ain’t got that m———- oh s— hold on, let me see what that s— look like,” Kevin Garnett recalled in All the Smoke podcast. Suddenly, Jerry Stackhouse joined in, and the event wasn’t just about dunking anymore. “We had forgot that we was, you know, what I’m saying as we should, you know everybody had their guards up and did I think the, the actually Festival actually help us all relax and enjoy the dunks and the creativity.”

That night, six players took the floor—Vince Carter, Ricky Davis, Steve Francis, Larry Hughes, Tracy McGrady, and Jerry Stackhouse. But it was Carter, a second-year pro, who turned it into something unforgettable.

His dunks didn’t just win the contest; they shifted the culture and inspired a generation.

How did Vince Carter’s dunk contest inspire a generation?

Instead of blowing out candles or unwrapping presents, Chuck Millan spent his 16th birthday glued to the TV. Why? Because his living room in Bonita Springs, Florida, became a front-row seat to one of the most electrifying nights in basketball history. He witnessed the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest.

“I don’t even celebrate my birthday, man, I celebrate the dunk contest,” Millan admitted years later.

Fast forward 25 years, and Vince Carter’s high-flying heroics remain the gold standard of dunk contests. The 2000 showdown wasn’t just a spectacle—it was a resurrection. After a two-year hiatus in 1998 and 1999, the event had lost its luster. But Carter changed everything. With gravity-defying dunks, the Raptors legend put the contest back on the map and forever altered Canadian basketball’s trajectory.

However, for Millan, that night wasn’t just unforgettable—it was life-changing. “Without that night, I wouldn’t have started my company,” he revealed. Carter’s legendary performance didn’t just inspire a generation of hoopers; it pushed Millan toward professional dunking, turning a passion into a career.

But he didn’t stop there. He co-founded Team Flight Brothers, now the longest-running professional dunk show in the world. “It is the longest-running professional dunk show in the world,” Millan stated. And that legacy traces back to one night in 2000. “That night didn’t just change the dunk world,” he reflected. “That night birthed the dunk world.” And as he wraps his word every time, someone takes inspiration from his dunk. Tomorrow it might be you, too.