Do you think the NBA Slam Dunk Contest isn’t what it used to be? Well, it’s clear former Phoenix Sun Shaquille O’Neal thinks so, as he is starting a professional dunking league to identify who really is the best basketball slammer in the world.
The four-time NBA champion announced Monday during TNT’s men’s Final Four pregame show that he will be the commissioner of the Dunkman League. The league, which O’Neal is touting as the first of its kind, was birthed from a TV show that aired last fall, “Dunkman,” where a panel of TNT Sports analysts and celebrities determined a champion over six episodes.
“The NBA guys don’t have enough pride to give us fans what we want in the dunk contest, (and) all of these professional dunkers have been created,” O’Neal said from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. “I’ve signed up 24 players. I’m giving a $500,000 cash prize. There will be an elaborate scoring system.
“We’re trying to get (Mac) McClung — (three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner) — in it, but I’m telling you tonight, we got 24 Mac McClungs.”
Who will own the skies? ✈️
Get ready for the Dunkman League on TNT Sports this summer ? @dunkmanofficial pic.twitter.com/dqgcz4HNcd
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) April 6, 2026
Former Arizona Wildcat Keshad Johnson (Miami Heat) defeated fellow Wildcat Carter Bryant (San Antonio Spurs) in the 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest in Los Angeles. All four competitors in the event — Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes and Magic’s Jase Richardson being the others — were first-timers after the springy, 6-foot-2 McClung won the previous three editions.
O’Neal said the best dunkers are no longer synonymous with the NBA’s best players, as was the case when he played.
So, how did Shaq, who unofficially recorded 2,626 dunks in his illustrious NBA career, select dunkers worthy of being crowned the world’s best? YouTube.
“If you go to YouTube, dunk clips are some of the most successful clips,” O’Neal said.
Canadian Jordan Kilganon, who impressed during 2016 NBA All-Star weekend, was one of the 24 O’Neal confirmed will be in the league.
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The league, which will be run by O’Neal in partnership with Lily and TNT Sports, will broadcast five dunking sessions — four group stage events and one finale — across TNT, TBS, truTV, HBO Max and a few unannounced social media platforms, according to The Associated Press.
The dunkers will be judged on “an Olympic-level scoring system” by a panel of judges.
Dunkman League is slated to debut this summer.
The 7-foot-1 center played 103 games for Phoenix, averaging 16.5 points, nine rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.7 assists. His career free-throw percentage of 52.7% is among the worst in league history (hence, “hack a Shaq”), but he shot 57.6% for the Suns, the best mark for any of the six teams he played for.
He made the All-NBA Third Team in the 2008-09 season with Phoenix, which was his final such accolade in a 19-year career.
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