Pro dunker Jordan Kilganon has pulled off some insane dunks in his career. He’s gone through his legs, behind his back, and through his legs and behind his back at the same time. He’s jumped over a car and over NBA legends. His nickname is “Mission Impossible” for a reason. Just like a pro mountain climber can’t truly say he’s the best until he’s seen the peak of Everest, though, Kilganon wasn’t able to claim the crown until he’d cleared the Big Diesel, Shaquille O’Neal, himself.
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Kilganon says that he’s asked all the time about dunking over Shaq, and that people have assumed for years that he has. He’s never actually done it, though, because his only interaction with the big man was when Shaq judged a dunk contest he took part in years ago.
Kilganon finally did get the chance to dunk over Shaq three years ago, as he revealed on his Instagram story yesterday. Shaq was his coach in the Kellogg’s Classic Celebrity Game, and Kilganon asked him for the chance to do the impossible.
Shaq was reluctant, but he agreed to be used as a prop for Kilganon’s high-flying aerial show. Despite his obstacle being 7-foot-1, Kilganon made “easy work” of it, and Shaq even reposted the dunk to his own Instagram, too.
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Shaq isn’t the only NBA legend that Jordan Kilganon has jumped over
Years before he jumped over Shaq, Kilganon impressed Gary Payton and Glen Rice at the NBA House Rio by pulling off a crazy series of dunks that culminated with him jumping over both of them at the same time. This was one of the great clips of early basketball twitter, as the face made by Payton became a meme.
Killganon shocked those in attendance by seemingly being picked at random to come out of the crowd and try to dunk, then he put on a show for the ages, even dunking over four people at once while throwing down a no-look jam behind him.
Payton knows a thing or two about dunking after spending seven years as Seattle SuperSonics teammates with the Reign Man himself, Shawn Kemp. That means it takes a lot to impress him, but the 6-foot-1 Kilganon did just that, over and over again. Seriously, watch this video. It will be the best four minutes of your day, not only for the dunks themselves but for Payton’s stunned reactions.
Seeing Kilganon in action, it’s no wonder he took home the $50,000 top prize for winning Dunk League 3, but jumping over Shaq has to be one of, if not the, number one career highlight.
