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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

Zion Williamson’s best dunks at Duke, ranked

We’ll be tracking Williamson’s best dunks all season.

Getty Images / SB Nation illustration
Ricky O'Donnell
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.

This fair website declared Zion Williamson the best dunker of his generation months before he even started his senior year of high school. That was the type of reputation Williamson built as a prep star, amassing millions of YouTube views, a gigantic social media following, and a handful of Top 10 clips on SportsCenter prior to attending prom.

Williamson hasn’t just lived up to the hype during the start of his college basketball career at Duke — he’s exceeded it. This man is so much more than a dunker, showing off the vision of a point guard, jaw-dropping shot blocking ability, a non-stop motor and even the beginnings of a three-point stroke.

Still, we keep coming back to the dunks.

This is a running post of Zion’s best dunks this season, ranked by the ones that got the biggest reaction from the Internet. This post will be updated all season, because these Zion highlights are just getting started.

Related

10. Zion’s first dunk

Duke had already blown out Kentucky before Zion even got his first dunk. It was only going to get better from here.

9. Alley-oop vs. Army

We were dangerously close to Zion dunking on his own teammate two games into his college career. Maybe next time.

8. Alley-oop vs. Eastern Michigan

Tre Jones — Duke’s other, other, other freshmen stud — just flipped this thing over his shoulder. He knew that no matter where he put it, Zion was going to get it.

7. Crossover + lefty power slam vs. Indiana

We’re starting to feel bad for the poor, mortal college kids who have to try to guard him,

6. Cock-back slam vs. Eastern Michigan

As has been noted, this is basically LeBron’s signature dunk. It also produced a perfect photo:

NCAA Basketball: Eastern Michigan at Duke
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Do they still make actual dunk posters? Because this should be a poster.

5. Splits Kentucky’s defense for a slam

Poor Reid Travis, widely considered the best transfer in the country this season, simply getting dusted off the dribble by someone four years younger than him. Williamson didn’t even need the screen here, just pure speed-to-power as he explodes to the hoop,

4. Effortless windmill vs. Indiana

Do not let Zion get into the passing lanes. You know what’s going to happen.

3. Eyes-at-the-rim alley-oop vs. Eastern Michigan

Bless Cam Reddish for throwing this pass a little too high. For any other intended target, this lob is sailing over their head for a turnover. For Zion, it’s a slam you’ll be seeing on his highlight reel all season. Just look where his eyes are at:

That’s a 285-pound 18-year-old doing that. We can’t get enough.

2. Windmill vs. San Diego State

Reminder: the rims at the Maui Invitational are notoriously flimsy. If only for a brief moment, it seemed like Zion might rip the rim straight off the backboard when he started to rev up for this windmill.

1. 360 dunk against Clemson

Just a quick 360 mid-game. No biggie.

So much power, so much grace. That’s what Williamson’s game is all about.

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