12 Reasons ‘Dunk Cam’ Is Vine’s Funniest Sports Trend
Basketball-obsessed teens have been doing it forever: Creeping up on unsuspecting friends during everyday life to throw down vicious imaginary dunks. But they haven’t always had social media to record their posterizing pranks for posterity’s sake. That’s the genesis of a hilarious sports trend called “Dunk Cam” that’s sprung up on Vine and other social networks this summer. Its roots can likely be best traced to a GIF from a high school ambush that went viral in May, and it’s only picked up steam as of late. Hallways, locker rooms, doorways — no place is safe. But there’s a problem. Until now, Dunk Cam videos have emerged clip by clip, ephemeral mini-doses of basketball comedy that bubble up then fade into the digital ether. So, in the interest of public service and the historical record, we’ve collected 13 of our favorite Dunk Cam videos from Vine right here. Check them out for yourself below (but be advised—some of the language is NSFW), then make your own additions in the comments. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. BONUS: Posterized! YouTube’s 12 Most Epic NBA Dunks Dunks 1. Blake Griffin on Kendrick Perkins This dunk set the Internet aflame in January. The official NBA YouTube video already has more than 5 million views. The dunk prompted Perkins to call out LeBron James in the press for tweeting the epic slam. 2. LeBron James on John Lucas The night before Griffin’s monumental throw-down, James turned in a classic of his own. He cleared Bulls guard John Lucas to catch this backdoor alley-oop. 3. Dwyane Wade on Anderson Verejao A couple years ago, before he and James joined forces on the Heat, Dwyane Wade completely overwhelmed James’ then-teammate, Varejao. In the immortal words of commentator Reggie Miller, “Welcome to your Kodak moment, Anderson Verejao!” 4. Baron Davis on Andrei Kirilenko This dunk will live forever in the hearts of Golden State Warriors fans. It came during the middle of the team’s improbable “We Believe” playoff run in 2007. Davis’ weird, belly-baring celebration, which earned him a technical foul, brings it up another notch. 5. Shaquille O’Neal on basketball hoop designers This dunk isn’t technically “on” anyone, but young Shaq pulling down an entire basketball support is epic enough to make any list. As the esteemed Bill Walton would say, “Throw it down, big man!” 6. Tom Chambers on Mark Jackson Current Warriors coach Mark Jackson had a stellar playing career with several NBA teams, but he was on the receiving end of probably the greatest NBA dunk ever by a white guy. 7. Scottie Pippen on Patrick Ewing Scottie Pippen obliterated Knicks center Patrick Ewing in this 1994 dunk, and this two-minute video tells the entire story. 8. Michael Jordan on Patrick Ewing Pippen’s Bulls teammate — some guy named Michael Jordan — also had a ruthless dunk over Ewing. He actually had a couple, but this one is the most savage of all. 9. John Starks on […]