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Hoopers who (probably) can't dunk
The slam dunk has become a staple of modern NBA basketball, but not everyone has that skill in their arsenal. Here, we highlight five players who've either never pulled off an in-game dunk or only accomplished the feat once or twice in their long careers.
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Steve Nash
Though Steve Nash is one of the greatest point guards of all time, the two-time MVP was never known to be a top-tier leaper. Despite never dunking in his 18-year career, Nash did make his mark in the Slam Dunk contest, assisting on teammate Amare Stoudemire's entry in 2005 with an alley-oop pass off his head.
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All-world assist man Steve Nash could even pass with his head... Relive his ⚽️ style lob to Amar'e Stoudemire in the 2005 dunk contest! #NBAVault #ATTSlamDunk: Feb. 18 on TNT
Trae Young
Trae Young is one of the NBA's most dangerous players shooting the ball from well beyond the arc, but he's never slammed the ball home. Ice Trae has averaged at least 25 points and nine assists in each of his last four seasons though, so he's more than OK without dunking.
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Fred VanVleet
While Fred VanVleet has carved out an outstanding career despite going undrafted, his lack of stature and bounce were the main reasons why he wasn't selected to begin with. VanVleet isn't oblivious to his dunk-less NBA tenure, either, admitting it's the only thing he's yet to prove in his career.
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We just wanna see @fredvanvleet throw it down one time this season 😂 🐰
Kyle Lowry
VanVleet's old teammate, Kyle Lowry, is also far from a dunking expert. While the Heat guard does have two career slams, they came way back in 2008, meaning he's played more than 1,000 NBA games since his last one. Given his diminishing role and decrease of athleticism at age 37, it seems unlikely we'll ever see Lowry rise up again.
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JJ Redick
NBA sharpshooter-turned-media member JJ Redick was seen as a 3-point specialist during his 15-year career. He only slammed it home once, in a 2011 playoff game. Maybe Redick's lack of dunking success came from always standing beyond the arc. Or maybe he was just never very capable of performing the "dunk shot."
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Did I make this dunk shot? Yes or no?