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Remembering the best forgotten jams of the last 10 Slam Dunk Contests

ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty

Get excited, kids - it's slam dunk Saturday.

The NBA's illustrious rim-rocking event has given fans plenty of iconic moments over the years, like the legendary duel between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter's iconic "honey dip," and Aaron Gordon literally sitting in the air in 2016.

But, in the social media era of shorter attention spans, a handful of exciting dunks have quickly fallen by the wayside. Some came too early in the contest, while others were overshadowed by a more lasting memory from the same event.

With that in mind, here are 10 somewhat forgotten entries from the past decade of Slam Dunk Contests that could use a little more love:

Howard nearly headbutts the backboard

When you think back to 2008, you might recall the debut of Dwight Howard's "Superman" or Gerald Green's "Birthday Cake" dunks, but Howard's first effort of the night may have actually been his best. Even Kobe Bryant couldn't hold back his astonishment as the big man narrowly avoided knocking his noggin on the board.

Fernandez finally pulls it off

Rudy Fernandez's appearance in the 2009 event lasted all of one round, which was a shame. His second dunk of the night - assisted by Spanish compatriot Pau Gasol - featured such a high degree of difficulty that it may not have been truly appreciated by the judges due to his numerous attempts.

Robinson climbs the ladder

The 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson is still the only player to ever win three Slam Dunk Contests, and he made sure to kick off his bid for a third trophy on the right foot, setting up this fierce windmill with a bounce pass to himself in 2010.

DeRozan comes back for more

For such a controversial and disappointing finale (thanks, Blake Griffin and Kia), the 2011 contest had some early gems. A year after losing to Robinson in the final, DeMar DeRozan's second dunk of the night - a one-handed reverse windmill off the bounce - earned a perfect 50 and dropped jaws at the judges' table.

Budinger clears Diddy

Chase Budinger nearly took home the 2012 title before being bested by Jeremy Evans in the final round. That doesn't mean we should forget that he leaped completely over Sean "Diddy" Combs that year. Some fun facts: Budinger is now a professional volleyball player, and Combs is now known as Love.

Green's wasted perfect score

Appearing in his third Slam Dunk Contest, Gerald Green failed to make it out of the first round after his perfect score of 50 was essentially negated by his disappointing "double dunk" attempt.

PG goes 360

The 2014 dunk contest was a formatting disaster that involved a "Team East vs. Team West" fiasco in a confusing "Freestyle Round." But in the subsequent "Battle Round," Paul George easily won his one-on-one matchup against Harrison Barnes with this 360-degree, through-the-legs slam.

Oladipo serenades New York

Zach Lavine completely stole the show in 2015, throwing down memorable dunk after memorable dunk as he cruised to the trophy. That's why you're forgiven if you completely forgot about a sophomore Victor Oladipo, who capped off a rousing Frank Sinatra rendition with a nasty 360-degree reverse.

Will puts on a thrill

The 2016 Slam Dunk Contest is considered one of the best ever thanks to a spectacular final-round duel between Lavine and Aaron Gordon, but Will Barton put everyone on notice when he kicked off the event with an emphatic-yet-smooth between-the-legs reverse jam.

Robinson stacks 'em up

Maybe it's a little difficult to forget something that happened just a year ago -especially from the eventual champion - but Glenn Robinson III dunking over two stacked people in the first round was a sign of what was to come in his title-clinching finale.

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