Seeing a player jump sky-high and finish with mid-air acrobatics will never get old. During the past years, dunking has become so entertaining to watch that it has become a new sport. 

Enter the professional dunkers. 

Professional dunkers are athletes who make a living by joining dunk contests. These athletes may not shoot or dribble the ball as well as NBA players, but they’re better at dunking.

Through the years, numerous professional dunkers have made a name for themselves, but none as iconic as the guy we’ll talk about here — Jordan Kilganon. 

What is Jordan Kilganon’s vertical Leap? We’ll answer this question and learn more about the best dunker in the world below. 

Who is Jordan Kilganon?

Jordan Kilganon is a professional dunker who hails from Ontario, Canada. He stands at 6’1″ and was named after “His Airness” himself, Michael Jordan, one of the best dunkers in the history of the NBA.  

Kilganon came from Humber College in Ontario and — to the surprise of many — did not play college basketball. Nonetheless, Kilganon forged his path in dunking and worked to be who he is now. Jordan first made headlines after pulling off an insane dunk during a 4th quarter timeout in the 2016 All-Star Game. After this, Jordan would showcase his mid-air masterpieces in shows like Dunk King and competitions like the Dunk League. He is a member of Dunk Elite — an organization of the best dunkers from all over the globe.

To put it simply, Jordan Kilganon has earned the unofficial title of best dunker in the world. Kilganon rose to fame with the advent of social media and the rise of dunk contests outside the NBA. In his videos and competitions, Kilganon handily pulls off dunks that even the likes of Zach Lavine or Aaron Gordon won’t dare to do. 

How High is Jordan Kilganon’s Vertical Leap?

A huge reason why Jordan Kilganon is recognized as the best dunker in the world is that he jumps insanely high. Kilganon’s vertical leap allows him to stay airborne longer and pull-off tricks mid-air that most people couldn’t do before reaching the ground. Jordan jumps so high that he can make dunks worthy of the NBA Dunk Contest while wearing jeans. 

But how high exactly can Jordan Kilganon jump? Officially, through a test done in 2019, Kilganon’s vertical leap is a whopping 49.5 inches. For context, the average vertical leap of an NBA player is only 28 inches. 

Only the most athletic people in the NBA can approach this height, specifically Michael Jordan and Darrel Griffith who both have a 48-inch vertical. With his vertical, Kilganon can level his head with the standard basketball rim easily.

How Does Jordan Kilganon Jump So High?

Most basketball players- casual and professionals alike- want a high vertical leap. Jordan Kilganon has a vertical of almost 50 inches, and with it comes all the privileges of jumping high. In basketball, you can do a lot of damage if you jump high because you’ll be able to block shots better, grab rebounds, and finish stronger at the rim. Of course, for many, jumping high also means fulfilling that dream of dunking. 

So how does Kilganon do it? 

Anyone can jump, but not all can jump high — more so at the level of professional athletes. To jump high, you need to have the right combination of speed, mechanics, body mass, and more. To put it simply, Jordan Kilganon’s height and weight, combined with his technique, contribute the most to his jumping capability. 

Because of his superhuman jump, Kilganon has been on the radar of kinesiologists, sports scientists, and coaches. Kilganon has been studied multiple times already, and they all found out that what makes him extraordinary is his mid-body strength and muscle activation. 

To be more specific, Kilganon gets most of his jumping power from his hips and core, not his legs or knees. He can also activate and relax the right muscles at the right time to generate maximum velocity. 

Many people suggest that Kilganon was born with his jump while others believe it’s because of his training. However, it’s probably correct to assume that it’s a bit of both. Kilganon was born tall and agile, but his training further developed the tools he had to jump high.

Kilganon’s Top 5 Dunks

Kilganon has pulled off tons of jaw-dropping dunks throughout his career. Most of his dunks are posted on his YouTube channel, but he also has videos all over the internet for his performances in the show Dunk King. Kilganon perfected a couple of dunks, enough to call them his signature like the Scorpion and the Lost and Found. 

Here are five of Kilganon’s best dunks:

1. Behind the Back + Between the Legs

The title of this Kilganon dunk masks how insane this dunk is, and this stunt sounds like something you would say as a joke — it’s that unbelievable. Pause for a moment and think about how you could make the ball go between your legs and behind your back in mid-air. And, if that isn’t crazy enough for you yet, Kilganon pulled off the dunk while leaping over a guy as tall as him.

2. The Win

The Win is a dunk that showcases the timing and flexibility of a dunker. Jesse Amesbury created this dunk a couple of years before Kilganon pulled it off and uploaded it on his YouTube channel back in 2015. To be more specific, Kilganon had to time his jump well and jump just high enough while stretching his hands down to reach the ball after its first bounce. If you look closely, Kilganon didn’t have the opportunity to look at the ball to grab it so everything really had to be timed perfectly. 

3. Between the Legs Scorpion

The Scorpion is one of Kilganon’s signature dunks. In this dunk, he grabs the ball with his arms extended to his back and slams it after passing by the ring mid-air. Now add a between-the-legs stunt before the signature Scorpion, and you get another one of Kilganon’s unbelievable dunks. Jordan pulled off this dunk and uploaded it on YouTube in 2015. 

4. Lost and Found

The Lost and Found has to be one of the most popular Jordan Kilganon dunks, for a good reason. The Lost and Found dunk was created by Kilganon and debuted in 2015 through his YouTube channel. This stunt combines a 360 dunk with a one-handed self-alley-oop from his back to the front. Describing it won’t justify how insane this dunk is, so we’ll just let you watch it. 

5. 720

The 360 dunk is an undeniable classic that separates dunkers and professional players from us mere mortals. A 360 is where a dunker faces the ring, spins 360 degrees, and faces the ring again before dunking it. This dunk is easier said than done, and it is challenging as it is already — that’s until Jordan Kilganon did it twice mid-air. And what is 360 times two? 720. 

 

Wrapping Things Up: What is Jordan Kilganon’s Vertical Leap?

Jordan Kilganon is a 6′ 1 Canadian who is known as the best dunker in the world. Jordan regularly pulls off dunks worthy of an All-Star Weekend 50 and has invented a couple of aerial masterpieces like the Lost and Found and the Scorpion. Behind his dunking success is an insane 49.5-inch vertical leap that can be attributed to his core strength and muscle activation. Dunking is nothing but a dream to many so you can’t help it but appreciate the greatness of Jordan Kilganon. 

We hope you enjoyed this post! If you did, be sure to check out our other basketball FAQ articles here.