The NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest is still chasing the ghost of its loudest night. A quarter-century later, that 2000 show remains the benchmark that the kind fans reference when the event needs a spark. February 2026 brought that memory back into the spotlight, with fresh reporting and a viral clip stirring up old debates.
At the center of it all is a familiar flashpoint. The Vince Carter arm-in-the-rim dunk is iconic. It is also controversial in certain corners. With new interviews circulating and multiple outlets revisiting the era, the Hall of Famer finally laid out how the moment actually happened.
Vince Carter Arm-in-the-Rim Dunk Origin Finally Explained
The Dunk Contest has struggled for star power, even a failed $1 million pitch to lure LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and Carter into a supercharged field. While that offer never materialized, a clip shared by NBA Courtside in February 2026 reopened a different argument: whether the Raptors legend borrowed the idea from Bryant’s overseas attempt.
Carter did not duck the question. On the “Vince and T-Mac” podcast, the eight-time All-Star explained the sequence and the inspiration, pushing back on the idea that he copied anyone.
“This is 2000. And I remember seeing comments they showed when Kobe did it arm in the rim overseas. To hear people say that I took that, I wasn’t the first one to do it and he stole that from this like it bothered me but this was 2000 there was no social media. The arm in the rim, I took version of Gary Payton game jumping up there dropping the ball in. So I said I want to try to hang up there. But I never done it before and I didn’t know direction or angle. So when I jump I walked it off I remember standing above the rim and I rubbed my arm. Said, here goes nothing.” Vince Carter said.
Vince Carter talking about how people said he stole the arm in the rim dunk from Kobe
“This is 2000. And I remember seeing comments they showed when Kobe did it arm in the rim overseas. To hear people say that I took that, I wasn’t the first one to do it and he stole that from… pic.twitter.com/kn5jw5bRMQ
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 14, 2026
The explanation reframes the moment. The 49-year-old Hall of Famer says the seed came from a Gary Payton in-game finish, not from Bryant. The difference is crucial. One was a live-game flourish. The other became a contest statement. The Vince Carter arm-in-the-rim dunk was not a rehearsed theft, according to the man who pulled it off. It was an improvisation with real risk in a pre-viral era.
The NBA once floated a $1 million incentive to bring superstars back to the contest. The league wanted spectacle. Carter had already delivered it once.
The Vince Carter arm-in-the-rim dunk is still the measuring stick. Whether fans argue about origins or execution, the moment endures because it changed expectations. As the contest searches for relevance, that 2000 leap remains the clip everyone chases and the one its author is finally putting in full perspective.
