NBA fans were hit with a surprise yesterday when Shams Charania announced that Andre Jackson Jr. would be participating in the 2025 Dunk Contest.
For Bucks fans, though, this announcement came as anything but a surprise. They’ve been watching Ajax throw down one absurd putback slam after another.
The best part about Jackson Jr.’s dunks? You almost never see them coming. He seems to emerge from nowhere on his putbacks. One moment, he’s off camera, and the next moment, he’s grabbing a rebound at its apex and tomahawking it down with earth-shattering force.
AJax’s best dunks
Jackson Jr. has been slamming home his signature putback dunk since at least his college days. Here’s a ridiculous putback slam he had in his freshman year of college.
https://twitter.com/CBBonFOX/status/1358113012268347394
Summer League was an awesome opportunity for Ajax to showcase his leaping ability. A lot of raw talent and not a lot of box-outs means opportunities like these.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1812237643704410132
Before his rookie season even began, Jackson Jr. threw down this wild cock-back slam against the Bulls. The Giannis reaction just makes it all the better.
https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1711093763353776532
Speaking of Giannis’ reactions. here’s another great one after a signature Ajax putback.
Here’s the magnum opus of Ajax dunks so far in his young career. You’d be hard-pressed to find another in-game dunk where a player’s head is THAT far above the rim. Jackson Jr.’s real skill is not only a staggering vertical but also the timing on these jumps.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1767770472630849808
This dunk was so absurd we had to include another few angles.
https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1780961807391183207
Now let’s get into the best of Ajax’s dunks so far this season. This windmill slam against the Hornets was completely unexpected and got the crowd fired up.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1860493131117985833
Ajax’s most recent notable slam came against the Nets the day after Christmas. Ajax is an opportunist, and when young teams don’t box out, he makes them pay.
He hasn’t even reached 100 career games, but Andre Jackson Jr. already has a career highlight tape that most NBA players would dream of. Seeing as most of his highlight slams are putback, he will have to get creative for the dunk contest.
Maybe he can enlist the help of former dunk contest participants Pat Connaughton and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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