To be an NBA dunk contest champion, you need insane athletic ability. Maybe powerful slams come in handy. Perhaps it’s just some creativity.
There are people available to help with the third. Perhaps none are better known around the industry than Chuck Millan, a “dunk guru” who has helped dunkers become champions for years. He has worked with the likes of Zach LaVine, Derrick Jones Jr. and Donovan Mitchell, prepping them for the best and most creative dunks possible.
He posted a video to Instagram going behind the scenes of Hamidou Diallo’s 2019 dunk championship and how they set up the dunk over Shaquille O’Neal.
“We got to work in Miami,” Millan narrated in the video.
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Clips showed Diallo working with former Thunder player Victor Oladipo and professional dunker Will Bunton. He caught alley-oops, jumped over items and got prepared for the tasks Millan would set for him.
“This dude’s legs aren’t real, so he can pretty much do whatever dunk I tell him to do,” Millan said.
Interspersed through the video are clips of Diallo dunking that have not been widely shared. They’re taken from the gym with him practicing and getting comfortable dunking over different objects.
Diallo didn’t understand what the point was. It seemed like Millan was not living up to his title.
“He’s like, ‘Chuck, why am I jumping over weird shit? This isn’t gonna get high scores. You’re gonna get fired. I’m gonna lose,'” Millan recalled.
“I said, ‘Nah bro, you’re gonna do an elbow dunk over Shaq and you’re going to win the dunk contest.'”
The rest is history.
