Shaedon Sharpe is quietly leading the NBA in a thrilling category

Shaedon Sharpe has played well for the Portland Trail Blazers this season, but likely unbeknownst to most fans, he’s also the owner of the top dunk of the season, according to NBA.com’s ‘Dunk Score’ statistic. The play came in the Blazers’ November 14 contest against the Houston Rockets.

With just under eight minutes to go in the second quarter, Jrue Holiday ran a pick-and-roll with Toumani Camara, and the Blazers loaded up the weak side of the floor. Sharpe slowly slipped to the basket, cutting right by an unaware Amen Thompson. Holiday found him with a bounce pass, and the rest was history.

Sharpe threw down a nasty dunk right in Jabari Smith Jr.’s face.

Shaedon Sharpe is an elite dunker

It was an insane display of athleticism and court awareness, and the NBA ranked it a 120.8, which is a full three points higher than the next-best dunk this season.

For what it’s worth, the second-place dunk belongs to Onyeka Okongwu, and third place is Zion Williamson. Those two, along with Sharpe, are the only players to record a dunk that received a score of  117 or higher this year.

A quick glance at the Blazers’ top dunks of the year reveals another stunning stat: Sharpe is the owner of the team’s top six dunks this year. Robert Williams III finally breaks the streak at seven, but it’s clear that Sharpe is the best in-game dunker on the roster. He might be the best in-game dunker in the league.

The 2024-25 campaign was the first season that the NBA introduced the ‘Dunk Score’ stat to its webpage, and Sharpe made sure to make his presence known then, too.

Last season, Sharpe finished the year with the second-best dunk in the league. It was a monster jam with Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie trying to get in his way at the rim.

Quentin Grimes, then on the Dallas Mavericks, ended the 2024-25 season with the best dunk of the year, which was a poster over then-Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet.

Obviously, Sharpe brings much more to the table than merely his dunking abilities. He’s rounding out into one of the most important players on the Blazers’ roster, especially on the offensive end.

But the dunks are definitely a bonus, and as of now, nobody in the NBA has had a better dunk that him this season.

And even if someone passes him, he should earn plenty of opportunities to take his crown back.