Is it me, or are today’s crop of highlight reel dunkers getting more and more innovative and athletic in an attempt to one-up each-other? Going back 10-15 years ago, NBA bad boy Isaiah Rider made the Eastbay Dunk famous by taking the ball between his legs before jamming it home in winning the ‘94 Slam Dunk Contest. By today’s standards, the Eastbay is as common a slam as there is, as every up-and-coming dunker has it added to their arsenal. Even high shool age high flyers like Duece Bello are pulling off Eastbay Dunks in live game action.
Recently we showed you the dunking exploits of Kadour Ziani, who quite possibly could be the world’s best dunker, as evidence of his reported 56 inch vertical leap that help him pull off his now legendary double reverse windmill jams, and not to be forgotten “Kick the Rim’ stunt. And who could forget last year’s Sprite Slam Dunk Champion “T-Dub” taking it to the next level pulling off a sweet 720 Dunk to win the “Greatest Dunk Contest Ever” this Summer outside LA’s Staples Center?
What’s next? What innovative twists and to what extremes will today’s dunkers come up with now? I’ve got one for ya. How bout taking the ball under both legs, while leaping over a 6’2 inch helper, before a thunderous throw-down? Call it a sort of an Eastbay Funk Dunk on steroids.
That’s what 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown competitor Justin “Jus Fly” Darlington pulls off in this video clip from Hoopmixtape.com. Just to be safe, he does it twice, one with each hand. Justin is a native of Canada and is training as a high jump competitor for the 2012 Olympics. He’s a star performer for Team Flight Brothers and is known in streetball circles for getting some of the highest verticals in competitions(he regularly gets his chin above the rim), while sporting his trademark dreads.
Check out “Jus Fly” taking the Eastbay to another level:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
