DATA DEPENDENT: NBA’s Top Ten Dunks of the Season Converted Into Kinetic Energy Scores.

DATA DEPENDENT: NBA’s Top Ten Dunks of the Season Converted Into Kinetic Energy Scores.

Scientific Inquirer ranks the NBA’s top 10 dunks based on kinetic energy, highlighting impressive performances during the season.

scientificinquirer

May 1, 2025

1–2 minutes

Africa, Asia, Australia, Data Dependent, Europe, NBA, North America, physics, South America, sports

We love going against the grain here at Scientific Inquirer. There’s probably few things less logical, less mainstream-sports-media-topic-of-the-day than to take a look back at the NBA season while sitting deep in the middle of the NBA playoffs. But here we are… Looking back… at DUNKS. They’re spectacular and worth a look at any time. So if you’re in the mood for pure spectacle, we’ve got some top-shelf slam porn, only with our typical, scientific twist.

Earlier in the season, at the All-Star Break specifically, we ranked the NBA’s top dunks according to kinetic energy. It was a calculation (rough admittedly) made possible by the statistics made available by the league’s official Dunk Scores. The results are interesting and a fun talking point, if nothing less. So without further ado, here are the top 10 NBA Dunks of the season, listed in order from 1-10 with their kinetic energy scores. The final results might surprise you (or not!).

QUENTIN GRIMES (Dallas Mavericks)

Mass (kg): 92kg
Vertical Height: 33.1cm
Take-off Distance: 5.9m
Hangtime: 0.433s
TOTAL KE: 8,837.1 J