Getty Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks takes off his shoes after dunking in the finals of the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday Night, part of 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend
Nate Robinson was the first and only NBA player to win the Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star weekend three times. Several players have won the competition twice, including Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Zach LaVine, and more. But none have won it more than Robinson who won it three times in five years. The 5-foot-9 point guard made his mark on dunk contest history with memorable dunks, including jumping over fellow dunk champion Spud Webb, dressing as ‘Kryptonate’ and jumping over Dwight Howard, and more.
Now, Robinson is back in the dunk game in partnership with Playmaker and CaffeineTV, to host a dunk contest featuring some of the world’s best amateur dunkers in a single elimination tournament called ‘Dunk Dynasty.’ The event will be live-streamed for free on CaffeineTV at 5:00 PM EST on Saturday, October 15.
Nate Robinson Interview
Nate joined me for an interview about the upcoming event, his favorite dunk contest memories, if he could still win a dunk title, and more. Read the full transcript below.
Nate, thanks for the time. I’m excited to talk with you about the Dunk Contest you are hosting with Playmaker on the 15th. Caffeine has been changing the game when it comes to live streaming basketball, whether it be 1v1, the Miami Pro League Playoffs with Playmaker or Drew League streams, and now the dunk contest you are hosting. How did you get involved with Playmaker and this event?
Playmaker is my management company, so I’m very familiar with the work they’ve been doing in partnership with Caffeine, and have been talking about ways to put some cool events together for a long time. I’ve always wanted to give a platform to some talented dunkers, and help amplify the creativity they bring to the court, so this seemed like a great place to start.
You were part of and won some of the most memorable Dunk Contests at NBA All-Star Weekend, which helped elevate the popularity of dunking and helped grow the platform of amateur dunkers worldwide to where it is today. As host, you aren’t competing in your dunk contest, but it will be some of the best amateur dunkers competing. What does it mean to be able to help bring more eyes to these amateur dunk competitions through your partnership with Playmaker?
It’s really cool man! There’s some big names in the competition with Staples and Max, but there’s also some guys you’ve never heard of who I think will shock a lot of people. It’s going to be a great, competitive show, and I can’t wait to see what these guys turn out.
How do you feel some of these competitors would hold up in the competition at All-Star weekend?
I think the difference with All-Star weekend is that you don’t get time to practice. Once you find out you’re in the dunk contest, you’re winging a lot of the ideas. The guys competing this weekend have had a lot of time to prepare and craft their dunks. They’re all really talented too. Don’t be surprised if you see some of the dunks featured in this weekend’s competition spark an idea for a future All-Star Weekend event.
What will you be looking for as a judge to grade the competition?
I’m looking for creativity. It’s almost impossible to do a brand new dunk that no one has ever seen. So I want to see how they’re able to take dunks that exist and make them their own.
What is your most memorable dunk contest dunk?
I think the Dwight dunk is the most memorable, the Green jersey, the shoes, the ball. There was a whole brand built around that dunk, “Kryptonate”, but dunking over Spud was really special. I looked up to him growing up.
Who would you say are some of the best NBA dunkers we never got to see in a dunk contest?
The obvious answer is LeBron. That’s the one everyone would say. Prime D Rose would win for sure. I think nowadays, everyone would want to see is Ja and Zion go at it.
If you were competing rather than judging this competition, could you still be one of the best dunkers?
I can still dunk, so maybe you’ll catch me at the next one, we’ll find out.
Where to Watch
You can watch the ‘Dunk Dynasty’ event hosted by Nate Robinson via Playmaker and CaffeineTV at 5:00 pm EST. Click here to follow in advance.
LINE-UP:
Dunkers:
Chris Staples @everybody_hatechriss
Darius Clark @kingdac
Michael Purdie @michaelpurdie
Tony Crosby @tonycrosbyy
Jamiko McNair @realjaymeeks
Judges:
Nate Robinson @naterobinson
Tony Hopson (owner of SEI, the venue)
TBC: 3rd judge
Playmaker