The Truth About the Jump-Over Handoff Dunk
This dunk isn’t popular because it’s creative; it’s popular because it gives extra lift and avoids the embarrassment of missing a dunk in front of everyone. Back in the 80s and 90s, dunkers didn’t use these gimmicks. They took on far more risk doing everything themselves, which made their best dunks genuinely more impressive.
The Real Reason This Dunk Keeps Showing Up
Ever notice how often you see this dunk now? The one where someone stands holding the ball above their head, and the dunker jumps over them, grabs it, and dunks? It’s everywhere: short guys proving their bounce, YouTube dunkers, and an oddly high number of recent NBA Dunk Contest participants.
It’s Not About Style : It’s About Extra Lift
The move gives the dunker more vertical. When you grab the ball from the top of someone’s reach, you’re not just receiving a pass : you’re getting a physical boost. A subtle upward push adds inches to the jump. That’s the whole reason for this.
It Also Minimizes Risk
No dribble to control. No self-lob to time. No need to rise with the ball in your hands. All the variables that normally cause bricked attempts vanish. Taking the ball from a stationary human stand removes almost all of that risk and all of that potential embarrassment.
A Modern Shortcut That Didn’t Exist Before
Experienced fans remember when they had to create the whole dunk themselves. Ball in hand. No gimmicks. Missed attempts counted. The athleticism was exposed, not assisted.
Jumping over someone while using their held ball as a launch point isn’t the same accomplishment. Flashy? Yes. Pure? No.
And when you see NBA players doing this now, remember how different it used to be. Back in the day, contestants weren’t making tens of millions of dollars, missing a dunk meant you were done (no resets, no extra tries), and they didn’t get to lean on props or setups to make things easier. The risk was real, and so were the stakes. So when you hear "old heads" complain about the state of the game, this is yet another relevant point in their favor.
Recent NBA Dunk Contestants Using Jump-Over / Grab-Assist Variants
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. |
| 2024 | Mac McClung |
| 2023 | Mac McClung |
| 2020 | Derrick Jones Jr. |
| 2019 | Hamidou Diallo |
| 2016 | Aaron Gordon |
These are just a few examples; there are many more players who have used some version of this assisted jump-over dunk in recent contests.