Ranking Top 10 Players with Highest Vertical Jump in NBA

Basketball is a sport where the forward players often go for dunks and layups and try to jump as high as they can. The culture might seem to be deteriorating over time, but it's still there. Nowadays, the league is more focused on shooting three-pointers from the perimeter, but in the old NBA, with rules, it was more about physical strength and jumping prowess.

Usually, to make such historical jumps, the players need to have either a natural ability to jump or train their legs with the ability to go higher above the rim. Today, we will enlist the top 10 players who have made the highest vertical leap in NBA history.

Top 10 Players with the Highest Vertical Jump in NBA History

The NBA has been on the scene for more than 70 years, and they managed to give some iconic highlights to remember for the fans. It started with players like Michael Jordan, but then there was a series of players who managed to graze around the mark set by His Airness. That's why they have also marked their place on this list of the top 10 highest jumpers.

#10 Dee Brown (44 Inches)

Dee Brown could not jump above the rim, but still, at a height of 6 feet 1 inches, he was able to record a 44-inch vertical leap in the league. He was the 19th overall pick from the 1990 Draft class for the Boston Celtics. First, he played 8 seasons with the Celts and then made a shift to other teams. The most talked about moment of his career was the 1991 Slam Dunk contest.

In that competition, he managed to drop no look dunk through his left hand and covered his eyes with his right elbow. The netizens loved this act from the NBA player and even hailed it as the first dab in the league.

#9 Harold Miner (44 Inches)

Harold Miner entered the league in 1992 as the 12th overall pick through the Miami Heat franchise. He attended the University of Southern California, and just after entering the NBA, the fans started hoarding up to call him Baby Jordan due to his athletic abilities. But it seems that Miner was not able to take on the pressure that he got from the fans.

He played just four seasons and appeared in the 1993 and 1995 Slam Dunk Contests. Eventually, he recorded a 44-inch vertical jump in one of those games to mark his spot in the ninth place on this list of highest jumpers in the NBA.

#8 Shannon Brown (44.5 Inches)

Shannon Brown was a bench player for the Los Angeles Lakers who blessed the court during the absence of Kobe Bryant on the court. Yet, in the short period of time that he spent on the court, Brown was able to make some big hops.

The 6 feet 4 inches tall player made a vertical leap of about 44.5 inches during his career that places him 8th on the list of players with the highest vertical leaps in the NBA. One of the most memorable shots of his career was a dunk against the Dallas Mavericks during a game that even Bryant admired from the sidelines.

#7 Zion Williamson (45 Inches)

On the list of the top 10 players with the highest vertical jump, Zion Williamson occupies the 6th spot. He hails the 45 inches vertical jump that he showed off during the 2018 season slamming dunks into the bucket one after the another.

Zion is a big figure with 6 feet 6 inches stature, but his Duke University jump at 45 inches mark set a new record for his collegiate team. That's what even brought the attention of the NBA scouts toward him. Later on, he also tried to copy the dunk from the free throw line that Michael Jordan displayed in his career.

#6 Zach LaVine (46 Inches)

Zach LaVine shared the same case as Jason Richardson since he was also not the best choice for a jumper at the time of his draft combine in 2014. The Minnesota Timberwolves picked him up as the 6th overall pick just on the basis of his basketball skills. The 6 feet 5 inches tall player evolved and then went on to win the dunk contest in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Aaron Gordon was a close-cut competition for him at that time. However, won the competition in the end. He could jump 46 inches high and continued to show his athletic ability for the Chicago Bulls later.

#5 James White (46 Inches)

James White did not play in the NBA for long since he was the 31st overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. The Portland Trail Blazers were the ones who picked him up, but his jumping ability came out during the 2012-13 season in which he played for the New York Knicks.

That season, White attempted 57 games and recorded a vertical jump of 46 inches during the game. He was 6'7" and was able to rise 5 inches above the basket. Later in his career, White won the Turkish dunk contest while representing the Euroleague club Fenerbahce.

#4 Anthony Webb (46 Inches)

Anthony Webb was the surprise element of the league due to his out-of-the-blue dunk at the 1986 Slam Dunk Competition. He was just a rookie at that time, and even his teammates were unaware of Webb's explosive jumping. The dunk specialist of his time and Anthony's teammate Dominique Wilkins did not know that Anthony was so involved in dunking.

Anthony was just 5 feet 7 inches tall yet he was able to jump at the height of 46 inches and even on the 1986 Slam Dunk contest. He surpassed his teammate Wilkins and won the hearts of the fans, with the audience blazing the number 10 boards for his performance.

#3 Jason Richardson (46.5 Inches)

The 5th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft for the Golden State Warriors was not considered a great jumper during the Draft Combine with 39.5 inches of vertical leap. However, it was during the later part of his career that Jason Richardson got his due for his athletic abilities. He won continuous Slam Dunk Challenges during the 2002 and 2003 All-Star Weekends. When the officials then measured up the vertical jump of Richardson, it turned out to be 46.5 inches.

The 6 feet 6 inches player's highlight shot was the reverse 360 between-the-legs in the 2003 Dunk Contest. Before legends like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Jason was the leader for most 3-pointers made by a single player in the regular season, with 243 in the 2007-08 campaign.

#2 Darrell Griffith (48 Inches)

The Utah Jazz player was the recipient of any dunk contest in his career with the Utah Jazz, but he could jump about 4 inches above the basket. Darrell Griffith was 6 feet 4 inches and even received the honor from Donovan Mitchell during the 2018 Slam Dunk Contest.

Mitchell had worn the number 35 jersey of Darrell before his second dunk during the competition. Darrell's vertical jump was believed to be 48 inches, and that's why he was able to make flashy dunks. Eventually, Griffith received the Dr. Dunkenstein nickname for his dunks.

#1 Michael Jordan (48 Inches)

If at all there was a player who could justify or even top the moniker 'His Airness,' it is Michael Jordan. Jordan tops our list of players with the highest vertical leap of 48 inches. This is to go along with a hangtime of 0.92 seconds.

Michael Jordan is the one who is most worthy of the player with the highest vertical jump title, or we can say ‘His Airness.’

Jordan could stay in the air for a whopping 0.92 seconds while charting a vertical leap of about 48 Inches on the court. One of the most iconic moments that proved his superhuman jumping ability was the dunk from the free-throw line during the 1988 All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Competition. The shot was so perfect for the judges that they scored it with 50 points.