Michael Jordan captivated fans with his dunking ability throughout his illustrious NBA career. His exceptional leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free-throw line, earned him awe-inspiring nicknames like “Air Jordan” and “His Airness.”
Another name who was an equally impressive dunker during the 1980s and 1990s was Dominique Wilkins. He was widely regarded as one of the best acrobatic slam dunkers in NBA history, highlighted by an epic pairing with Jordan for a 3-on-3 streetball game in 1986.
When Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins Dunked Under the St. Louis Arch
Wilkins and Jordan put on a dunking extravaganza under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis on 4th of July in 1986 during a 3-on-3 streetball game. Jordan was still very young, fresh off his Rookie of the Year Award — and Wilkins was still looking for his first All-Star nod and entering his fourth NBA season.
Patrick Ewing and James Worthy also graced the court that day in what turned out to be a highlight-reel show for high-flying dunks. KSDK-TV reporter Art Holliday covered the game live and recalled the moment in 2022.
“In the video, we see Michael Jordan do this mid-air spin, he looked like Baryshnikov if you slow it down,” Holliday said. “It was this ballet-like move in mid-air. And then I think Dominique Wilkins dribbled between a guy’s legs and dunked.”
Jordan and Wilkins could be spotted throwing dunks at will. The dynamic duo idolized Julius Erving for his legendary dunking skills, eventually going on to be rated among the top five dunkers in NBA history.
“Everybody wants to be a Julius Erving,” Wilkins told Holliday. “Wants to jump like him. And he was one of the rare talents of our time. There aren’t many guys who can do the things he does with the ball on the floor.”
Wilkins, a Hall of Famer, won the 1985 and 1990 NBA Slam Dunk contests. He averaged 24.8 points per game en route to nine All-Star nods over a 15-year career. It didn’t matter if he had a clean lane to the rim or a defender in his grill, Wilkins was always looking to put an extra something on each dunk.
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Meanwhile, Jordan has too many accolades to list. He is arguably the greatest slam dunker — and greatest basketball player — to ever do it.
When asked about the first time he dunked, Jordan told Holliday: “I was in the ninth grade. I really didn’t know I dunked the ball. I went up with the intention of dunking it, but I was so happy that I didn’t if I did it.”
Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins playing street basketball in St. Louis pic.twitter.com/JRMEZ7VXJh
— OldTimeHardball (@OleTimeHardball) May 16, 2025
Jordan could fly in the air, and even before he became famous for beating defenders and draining crunch-time buckets, he was making sizzling slams in street parks. He also won the 1987 and 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contests.
