These are the top 10 best dunks of all time. Obviously you know the air that the greats like Michael Jordan and Dr. Julius Erving had, but check out these other dunks that you may not be so familiar of.

Young Kobe was as athletic a young star as we've ever seen. Straight out of high school, this kid basically jumped from the foul line and dunked completely over a top-league defender like Ben Wallace.

#9- Shaq Breaks the Backboard

This 300 lb. gorilla didn't just break the backboard once...

#8- Tie: Dwayne Wade over Anderson Varejao

Dwayne Wade absolutely murders Varejao and deflates the whole Cavaliers bench with this one dunk. Completely jumps over him and shows his strength by plowing him to the floor.

#8- Tie: Baron Davis Dunks on Andrei Kirilenko

Baron Davis' dunk here was ridiculous. He put his hand in Kirilenko's (who is a very good defender and good shot blocker) face and absolutely crushed him in Game 3 of the Second Round Playoff Series to lift the Warrior's fans and teammates up out of their seats, literally and figuratively.

#7- Clyde the Glide Drexler Free Throw Line Dunk

Yes, a free throw line dunk has been done before, but Drexler was one of the first. The reason why this is up there over Jordan's or Dr. J's or Pippen's is because this was IN A GAME (as opposed to a Dunk Contest). He jumped over an opponent and if you notice where his hand ended up, he could have left even earlier. Scroll to the last dunk at 1:57 to see it.

#6- Shawn Kemp on Alton Lister

This is on everyone's top 10 list and for good reason. Kemp did a tomahawk jam straight in Lister's face. Throw it down big man!

#5- Dr. J. Rock the Baby Cradle Dunk over the Lakers

This is probably the most famous and prettiest dunk of all time. The fact that he stole the ball dribbled the ball up court and completely faked out the defender with this move is incredible. Dr. J was no stranger to aesthetically pleasing moves and this certainly tops the list.

#4- Scottie Pippen over Patrick Ewing

This is not one of the best dunks of all time, but it was the situation and the moment that this was in that makes this one of the most memorable dunks ever. The heated rivalry between the Knicks and Bulls made this one special (even though I'm a Knicks fan and it crushes me to watch this). This was during a tight 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 6, and ultimately changed the momentum of things completely. This dunk gave the Bulls the edge for the series and showed why the Bulls were so dominant during the run.

#3- John Starks on Horace Grant and Michael Jordan

Considering this was a 1993 playoff game and a pretty pivotal moment within that game, this has to be up there as one of the greatest dunks. Starks was a right handed 6'3" dude and posterized two players with his left hand.

#2- Vince Carter Dunk in 2000 Olympics over 7'2" European

Vince Carter was probably the best jumper we've seen in the past decade. His through the legs dunks and spinning windmill jams were unprecedented. However, this dunk was nothing like we've ever seen. He jumped over a 7 foot dude IN A GAME. He completely JUMPED OVER and cleared a 7 foot man jamming it home in a game.

#1- Michael Jordan Embarrasses the Knicks and Dunks over Patrick Ewing

This is probably the famous Michael Jordan highlight. It wasn't the dunk itself that made this so special. It was the intangibles that were surrounding it. It was the heated rivalry between the Knicks and Bulls and the fact that this was a 1991 NBA Eastern Conference First Round Game 3 Playoff Game made this so special and really signified the dominance of the Bulls. The way Jordan dribbled the ball and absolutely broke down a well experienced, talented, and well prepared club (Pat Riley whipped his boys into shape) is what makes this dunk ridiculous and atop the list.