NBA Street Series: Dunks! Volume One

Like an hour-long highlight reel, Dunks! delivers exactly what it promises: a non-stop compilation of the greatest slam-dunks in basketball history. Hosted with hip-hop attitude by DJ Clue, this on-court nirvana for basketball fans offers a slickly-produced survey of the sport's greatest jam-masters, including Dominique Wilkins ("the human highlight reel"), 2000 All-Star slam-dunk champion Vince "Vinsanity" Carter, Clyde Drexler, Tracy McGrady, and many others. A brief historical overview details the origins of the slam-dunk and its earliest practitioners including Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor (the first player to demonstrate the benefits of "hang-time"), Connie Hawkins, and the biggest star in the ABA, "Dr. J." himself, Julius Erving. Peppered with interview clips featuring the NBA's top all-stars, other segments explore the Alley-Oop (one player passing, the other slamming) as mastered by Seattle Sonics stars Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp; the awesome power-dunks of Shaquille O'Neal; and the dominating dunks of the legendary airman himself, Michael Jordan. Whether it's a windmill, reverse dunk, "360," tomahawk, or an awesome flight from the foul line, these dunks provide NBA showmanship at its finest. DVD extras include a clip-show of the 10 greatest dunks; excerpts from the 1985 slam-dunk championship between Jordan and Wilkins; a variety of "dunk stories" from various NBA stars; and an all-star survey asking "who is the greatest dunker?" An accompanying CD includes hip-hop songs featured on the soundtrack; it's perfunctory at best, but the DVD's a winner. Recommended. [Note: also newly available on DVD at the same price: NBA Street Series: Ankle Breakers, Volume One.] Aud: P. (J. Shannon)