Matt LaMarca

10 Best SlamBall Plays Of All Time – SlamBall Returns Summer 2023!

"Slamball" creator/player Mason Gordon (L) and part owner Pat Croce pose for a photograph while athletes demonstrate a drill for the new team action sport "Slamball" at a live exhibition at Nick on Sunset on July 30, 2002 in Los Angeles, California.
Image Credit: Robert Mora/Getty Images

Every kid dreams of throwing down a monster dunk. Going downhill with a full head of steam, taking off, and finishing with thunder. Sometimes it’s a windmill, sometimes it’s a two-handed throwdown in traffic, but it’s always with authority.

For most of us, that’s all it will ever be: a dream. Very few are gifted enough to combine the size and athleticism needed to throw down a hammer. The only way most of us are throwing down a dunk is if someone put a trampoline in front of the net.

Enter Slamball.

What Is SlamBall?

If you’ve never heard of Slamball, you’re missing out. It’s been off the air for 20 years, but in its prime, it was a spectacle to behold. Four trampolines were placed around both baskets in a full-contact version of basketball.

If you lament the rise of the 3-pointer and the lack of physicality in the modern NBA, Slamball is for you. It features showstopping dunks, massive rejections, and enough contact to make the 90s Knicks blush.

There are some other differences as well, which we break down below:

SlamBall vs. NBA Rule Differences

SlamBallNBA
4 trampolines near basketno trampolines, just hardwood
4-vs-45-vs-5
20 minute games48 minute games
physical body contact allowedvery little physical body contact allowed
head-to-head face off after foulfree throws / out of bounds after foul
3 points for a dunk2 points for a dunk
plastic glass around courtno plastic glass, just fans in chairs
live substitutionsno live substitutions

When Is SlamBall Coming Back?

Fortunately, Slamball is set to make a return in the Summer of 2023. It’s a fantastic time for the alternative sports market. Sports are one of the few things that are undoubtedly better live than recorded, and networks are hungry to add as much live programming as possible to their channels. Sports like UFC, Formula One racing, and Premier League Lacrosse have all flourished, while the Big3 and The Basketball Tournament have proven that there is a market for alternative basketball leagues.

10 Best SlamBall Plays Of All Time

With SlamBall on the way back, it’s the perfect time to take a look at some of the best highlights in the sport’s history. Let’s dive in.

10. The Art Of The Slam(Ball)

Most of the dunks featured here are going to be about power, but sometimes, it’s about beauty. While the NBA dunk contest has fizzled out in recent years, SlamBall dunk contests can be a canvas for creativity.

Take a look at this beauty cooked up in a dunk contest overseas:

Pure grace. It starts with a twisting backflip into what appeared to be a 720.

The best part? He still had more hang time! He probably could’ve added another 360 in there if he wanted to.

After watching this dunk, I’m officially convinced that the NBA needs to implement trampolines in dunk contests moving forward. I would much rather watch that – even if it’s with G League or fringe NBA players – than sit through Obi Toppin missing eight dunks again.

Seriously, imagine what an NBA player with a 48” vertical could do on a trampoline. I’m literally salivating at my keyboard. If All-Star Weekend is supposed to be about fun, I can think of nothing more fun than a trampoline dunk contest.

9. The Double Dunk Delight

The trampolines get the majority of the attention in SlamBall, but it’s important to remember that these guys can play! It takes a certain type of athlete to do anything at the highest level, and these guys are no exception.

Look at the hand-eye coordination on this dunk attempt:

Let’s break that down. The offensive player rises up for a massive slam only to be denied at the rim. The ball is almost down the cylinder, but the defender just does enough to pop the ball loose. While still hanging on the rim with a defender draped all over him, this gentleman managed to catch the ball with his other hand and throw it down again. That’s absurd!

Is that a legal maneuver in SlamBall? I honestly have no idea. What I do know is that it’s extremely impressive. I couldn’t pull that move off on my niece’s mini hoop.

8. Battle At The Top Of The Backboard

One of the differences you may have noticed in the chart above is that SlamBall doesn’t have free throws. Instead, the offensive player gets to attack a defender in a head-on collision. That’s as alpha as it gets: mano e mano at six feet off the ground.

They can lead to huge blocks and huge rejections, but there’s always going to be carnage. Look at the offensive player put the defender in an absolute body bag:

You could not pay me enough to be the defender in that situation. A grown man with a full head of steam coming straight at me? I’m making the business decision every time.

You see that in the NBA quite often. A defender will have the opportunity to challenge the attacking player at the rim, but he’ll usually veer out of the way at the last second. After all, a dunk is merely two points, but getting put on a poster lasts forever.

That’s simply not an option for these folks. They take pride in attacking and defending the rim, and the world is a better place because of it.

7. The Hangtime Hesi

There’s a reason they call boxing the sweet science. Part of the sport is about beating another man’s brains in, but that’s just a small piece of the equation. You have to pick the right shot at the right time, and the best boxers are constantly thinking three moves ahead. It’s like watching a great chess player: they know what’s going to happen long before they actually do it.

I’d like to think SlamBall is the same way. Part of the sport is obviously going to be about doing serious damage, but there’s also plenty of skill involved.

Take a look at this sweet little hesitation dunk move to leave the defender flummoxed:

The attacking player cocked the ball back and did a full windmill, but at the last second, he makes a slight adjustment to leave the defender grabbing at air. Instead of a massive collision, he scores in for the easy uncontested 3-pointer.

I never got to watch Dr. J play in his prime, but I have to imagine that’s how he left defenders feeling. You think you’re in perfect position only to watch him make some gravity-defying move. His iconic reverse layup in the Finals against the Lakers is the prime example, but I’m sure he did it countless other times as well.

6. SlamBall Hammer Time

Occasionally, you’ll hear NBA announcers talking about a player getting up so high that they can kiss the rim. Being able to get eye level with the rim is the sign that you’re one of the best leapers in the game. Gerald Green broke out his “birthday cake” dunk during the Slam Dunk contest to show how high he was getting above the rim.

It’s safe to say that adding a trampoline makes things a whole lot easier:

My man legitimately gets his nipples above the rim. He’s so high up there that he could grab a dollar off the top of the backboard and leave four quarters in its place. He responds by throwing the ball through the hoop at approximately 250 mph.

The poor defender had absolutely no chance. If not for the trampoline breaking his fall, I think he would’ve gotten dunked straight into the center off the earth. 

Also, please ignore the meme text over this highlight. Part of the difficulty of writing about a sport that hasn’t been on the air in 20 years is finding quality highlights. This dunk demanded inclusion, but I simply couldn’t find it without the text. Nobody’s perfect.

5. DENIED!

We’ve shown a lot of love to the offense so far, but a good block is just as special. I would argue it’s more impressive, especially when factoring in the trampolines. Not only do you have to time your defensive jump perfect, but you have to stop an offensive player barreling down at you with tremendous force.

When you get it all right, the results are beautiful:

Sheer perfection. The offensive player grabs the defender’s left arm to try and create a bit more space, but the defender was undeterred. He met the jump at the apex and stopped him stone cold, dropping the attacker like a sack of potatoes.

Think about how difficult that is. The defender didn’t even fall down afterward! The offensive player had all the momentum, yet he was the one who ended up on his backside. If No. 24 in the black and red isn’t the Rudy Gobert of SlamBall, I don’t want to see who is.

4. Three Is A Magic Number

What’s better than one highlight? Three highlights! Is that cheating? Maybe, but I make the rules around here.

This trio of highlights from the SlamBall official Twitter account was simply too good not to include:

Let’s break down each of them.

The highlight starts with a beautiful self-alley-oop off the backboard. We’ve seen that before in the NBA – LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Tracy McGrady have all done it – but I don’t think any of them are doing it from behind the 3-point line.

Additionally, the timing was absolutely perfect. He got the defender in the air, threw the ball to the perfect spot, and finished with authority.

Play No. 2 features a casual reverse 360 between the legs slam. You might see that in the NBA during a dunk contest, but this happened in a real game! The offensive player got out in transition and decided to put on a show.

That said, play No. 3 is my favorite. It starts with the offensive player trying to put on a show with his handles, but the defender was having none of it. He stripped the ball cleanly – at least as cleanly as it gets in SlamBall – and got out in transition. There was a defensive player there to meet him at the rim, but he had no chance.

I’m not 100% sure, but these highlights all appeared to come from the same game. Imagine turning on the television and seeing all three of those in the same broadcast. Such is the beauty of SlamBall.

3. Death From Above

I’m a huge nerd. I’ve made that point abundantly clear in some of my previous columns for Props, so it should come as no surprise that I love Statcast data. I can’t imagine baseball without it. If a ball is hit hard, I want to know how hard. If a runner is fast, I want to know how fast. If a pitch breaks, I want to know how much.

The reason I bring up Statcast data is that I need to know how fast this ball went through the hoop:

I’m surprised it didn’t put a hole in the trampoline. Occasionally, you’ll see a middle blocker in volleyball get an uncontested spike at the net, and he’ll hit it straight down. That’s what this guy did on this dunk.

The dunk itself was also impressive. The defender attempted to deny him at the rim, but that was never going to happen. The dunker looked like an outside linebacker bearing down on a quarterback, and the results were about the same.

Overall, it’s one of the best dunks I’ve ever seen.

2. Honey Dip 2.0

In 2000, Vince Carter put together one of the most impressive performances in the history of the dunk contest. He had some iconic dunks, but none was more iconic than the honey dip.

If you’re too young to remember, Carter rose up, cocked the ball back, and put his entire upper arm in the hoop. He was left hanging by his elbow, which is something that no one had ever done previously.

That said, every day is the dunk contest in SlamBall. You never know what you’re going to see:

This was basically Carter 2.0 except that he stuck his arm even further into the hoop. He also did it right on No. 69’s head, which is kind of ironic if you think about it.

1. Coast To Coast

We’ve reached the final stop in our destination, and what a journey it has been. We’ve seen some hellacious dunks and blocks, but nothing sums up SlamBall better than this sequence:

It’s pure, beautiful chaos. It starts with a beautiful two-handed rejection at the rim, but that’s just the start. After that, bodies start flying. Multiple players hit the ground, and the Slashers ultimately get out in transition.

That’s when the true fun starts. They have a 2-on-1, and the player with the ball could’ve very easily tried to put the defender on a poster. Instead, he waits for his teammate to jump into position before throwing a gorgeous alley-oop. His teammate catches it clean and throws it down with authority for an amazing 3-point dunk.

This, to me, is SlamBall. The physicality at the rim. The mad scramble for the ball. The creativity in transition. When you’re able to get that much hangtime, the sky is quite literally the limit.

When SlamBall does make its glorious return in Summer 2023, you can bet I’ll be watching. I hope you’ll join me.

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