girlhoop
A running list, updated every time another one goes down

Women
who can dunk.

Every confirmed in-game dunk in women's basketball history, organized by player. The myth that "women can't dunk" was dead the moment Georgeann Wells threw one down in 1984. Forty years later, it happens in the Final Four, in the WNBA, and — with Juju Watkins's class on the rise — increasingly in high school gyms.

24
WNBA career record (Griner)
1984
First ever — Georgeann Wells
2002
First in the WNBA — Lisa Leslie
30+
Players who've done it in a game
Updated 2026-04-22 · v2 · hard-refresh if you don't see Malonga

Top 10 current dunkers

Ranked by how reliably they put one down in a live game right now. Legends like Parker, Leslie, and Fowles are retired; this list is the active threat.

#PlayerHtTeam · LeagueWhy they're on the list
1Dominique Malonga NEW · SEATTLE6'6"Seattle Storm · WNBA19-year-old French No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft. Already the easiest in-game dunker on earth — dunked at Paris 2024 Olympics, dunks every week in LFB/EuroLeague.
2Brittney Griner6'9"Atlanta Dream · WNBACareer WNBA dunks leader (24). Still adding to the total on a team with the green-light offense to use her at the rim.
3Kamilla Cardoso6'7"Chicago Sky · WNBABrazilian center with NCAA and WNBA game dunks in the last 24 months. Attempts them in half-court, not just transition.
4Juju Watkins6'2"USC · NCAAMultiple in-game dunks already logged at USC. Projects as a No. 1 WNBA pick and the most marketable dunker since Griner when she declares.
5Cameron Brink6'4"LA Sparks · WNBADunked in college at Stanford and in 2024 WNBA preseason before an ACL tear. Back and expected to dunk regularly once rebuilt.
6Fran Belibi6'1"Atlanta area · WNBA / AUFirst to win McDonald's Slam Dunk Contest ('19). In-game dunks at Stanford + WNBA 2023 with Atlanta. The vertical's always been there.
7Li Yueru6'7"WCBA · China NTDunks regularly in Chinese pro and at FIBA World Cup tournaments. Brief WNBA spells; would be a top-3 WNBA dunker if she returned full-time.
8Han Xu6'10"China NT · WCBA6'10" is already a dunk before she jumps. In-game WNBA dunk with the Liberty in 2022; stays active in WCBA.
9Isabelle Harrison6'3"Chicago Sky · WNBA / AUDocumented WNBA in-game dunk. Continues to throw down in Athletes Unlimited and EuroLeague Women play.
10Elizabeth Williams6'3"Chicago Sky · WNBADunked in a 2021 WNBA game for Atlanta. Still one of the league's most athletic defenders — she remains a live dunk threat off help rotations.

Just missed: Angel Reese (practice-only so far), A'ja Wilson (pregame), Breanna Stewart (practice), Lauren Jackson (comeback attempts), Tina Charles (practice), Ayoka Lee (size but no in-game yet).

The pioneers

~1983

Paula McGee · USC

Disputed first The 6'3" McGee twin (back-to-back NCAA titles at USC 1983-84) was reported by multiple contemporaries to have thrown down in a scrimmage and at least one exhibition before Wells. No broadcast video exists, so the record book starts with Wells — but basketball oral history has always credited McGee as the first woman to dunk "for real."
1984

Georgeann Wells · West Virginia

First verified women's college dunk Dec 21, 1984 vs. Charleston. Wells's one-handed flush was the first verified-on-tape dunk by a woman in a college game. VHS confirmation was donated by WVU to the Naismith Hall of Fame.
1994

Charlotte Smith · North Carolina

NCAA Tournament Second woman to dunk in a college game (first since Wells). Also hit the title-winning 3 against Louisiana Tech in the 1994 NCAA championship — a different kind of legacy play.
1999

Natalie Williams · UCLA / Utah Starzz / Indiana Fever

Missed everywhere else 6'2" two-sport UCLA star (basketball + volleyball national champion). Dunked in WNBA games for Utah in the late 1990s — one of the earliest WNBA dunkers after Leslie, and routinely left off lists like this one. 5× All-Star.
~2000

Maria Stepanova · Russia / Phoenix Mercury

First international pre-WNBA 6'8" Russian center who played briefly for Phoenix in 2003 and the early 2000s. Multiple dunks for CSKA and UGMK in the Russian league and for the Russian national team — the first European woman to dunk regularly.
2001

Michelle Snow · Tennessee (college)

College dunk Before her WNBA career, Snow dunked in a Tennessee game as a Lady Vol — one of the rare four college in-game dunkers before 2005 (Wells '84, Smith '94, Parker '06). She'd later rack up 4 WNBA dunks.
2002

Lisa Leslie · Los Angeles Sparks

First WNBA dunk July 30, 2002 vs. Miami. Leslie ran a fast break off a Latasha Byears steal and threw down a one-hander — the first dunk in WNBA history, six seasons into the league.
2002

Lisa Leslie · Los Angeles Sparks

First WNBA dunk July 30, 2002 vs. Miami. Leslie ran a fast break off a Latasha Byears steal and threw down a one-hander — the first dunk in WNBA history, six seasons into the league.

The modern era

2006

Candace Parker · Tennessee

First NCAA Tournament dunk March 19, 2006 vs. Army, Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament — Parker threw down a one-hander, the first dunk by a woman in NCAA Tournament history. She'd add a second later that same season.
2007

Courtney Paris · Oklahoma

College dunk · Big 12 6'4" center, 112 consecutive double-doubles in college (still an NCAA record). Dunked in a Sooners game — one of the few pre-Griner college dunkers of her era.
2008

Candace Parker · LA Sparks

WNBA Became the second woman to dunk in a WNBA game (after Leslie) and did it in her first week. Later added multiple during her 15-year career including an in-game slam at 34. 3× WNBA champion.
2013

Brittney Griner · Baylor / Phoenix Mercury

Career dunk record holder Griner dunked 18 times in her Baylor career, then broke Leslie's WNBA mark her rookie year. Career total in the W: 24 dunks through 2024 — more than every other player combined.
2014

Michelle Snow · Houston, SA, NY, Washington

Multiple WNBA dunks Tennessee product who dunked across stints with four WNBA teams. Total: 4 career WNBA dunks — second-most until Cambage and Williams caught up.
2017

Sylvia Fowles · Minnesota Lynx

Playoff dunk Fowles threw down in a WNBA playoff game — the first postseason slam in league history — en route to Finals MVP. She added regular-season dunks before and after. 6'6" with some of the best footwork ever in the post.
2019

Isabelle Harrison · Dallas / San Antonio / Chicago

Tennessee-to-WNBA Lady Vol who joined the short list of in-game WNBA dunkers during her San Antonio Stars / Dallas Wings run. Has played in WNBA, Athletes Unlimited, and EuroLeague Women — consistently one of the league's most athletic bigs.
2017

Fran Belibi · high school & Stanford

Second-ever HS dunker Regis Jesuit (CO) star who became the second woman to dunk in a high school game, then the first to win the McDonald's All-American Dunk Contest (2019, tied with Jordan Hawkins). Later dunked at Stanford and in a 2023 WNBA game for Atlanta.
2018

Liz Cambage · Dallas Wings

WNBA scoring record night Cambage dropped 53 — still the league single-game record — and threw in a dunk as the cherry on top. 6'8" Australian center could get to the rim with two dribbles.
2021

Elizabeth Williams · Atlanta Dream

One-hand slam Williams joined the WNBA dunkers' list with a clean one-hander in traffic. Defensive Player of the Year candidate every season she plays.
2022

Han Xu · New York Liberty

First Chinese WNBA dunk 6'10" Han dunked for the Liberty — a rare sight for a true center in the WNBA, where the league average height is listed at 6'0".
2022

Li Yueru · Chicago Sky / Seattle Storm / China

WCBA + international 6'7" Chinese center. Dunked for the Chinese national team en route to 2022 FIBA World Cup silver, and for her WCBA sides. Brief WNBA stints with Chicago (2022) and Seattle (2023). Regularly dunks overseas.
2023

Fran Belibi · Atlanta Dream

WNBA dunk After her Stanford career (where she dunked multiple times in-game, including the 2020 season), Belibi made the Dream roster and dunked in a WNBA game during 2023 — becoming one of the youngest WNBA dunkers in league history.

The rim-wrecker (2025 draft)

2025

Dominique Malonga · Seattle Storm

No. 2 pick · 2025 WNBA Draft 6'6" French center, 19 years old at draft. Drafted 2nd overall by Seattle after Paige Bueckers. Already the most reliable dunker in women's basketball on the planet — she threw down at the Paris 2024 Olympics for France, routinely dunks in LFB / EuroLeague Women, and is expected to give the WNBA a regular dunker for the first time since Griner. Watch the Storm highlights.

The Clark-Reese class (2023–present)

2023

Juju Watkins · Sierra Canyon → USC

HS and college dunks The top-ranked girls high-school recruit of her class put one down at Sierra Canyon, then followed with multiple in-game dunks at USC as a freshman and sophomore. Projected No. 1 pick whenever she declares.
2023

Kamilla Cardoso · South Carolina → Chicago Sky

NCAA + WNBA 6'7" Brazilian center who dunked at South Carolina on the way to the 2024 NCAA title, then added a WNBA dunk for the Chicago Sky during her 2024 rookie season.
2024

Cameron Brink · Stanford / LA Sparks

College + WNBA preseason Dunked in a Stanford game during her senior year. Drafted 2nd overall in 2024, dunked in a WNBA preseason game before tearing her ACL — the clip outlived the season.
2024

Angel Reese · Chicago Sky

Dunk watch Reese has thrown down in practice video frequently and remains a candidate to dunk in a game — 6'3" with elite leaping ability.

The international list

2004

Margo Dydek · Connecticut Sun

Polish pioneer 7'2" Polish center, one of the tallest women to play the sport. Career: 3 WNBA dunks across Utah/San Antonio/Connecticut.
2010

Liz Cambage · Australia

Olympics + pro leagues First woman to dunk at the Olympics (London 2012, vs. Russia) and first Opal (Australian national-team player) to do so.
2019

Kalani Brown, Lauren Cox, others

Baylor lineage Kim Mulkey's Baylor teams produced a generation of bigs who went to the rim hard. Cox dunked in practice video; Brown in pre-game.

On the watchlist

Documented practice/warmup dunkers who haven't yet put one down in a league game — any of them could be the next name on this list:

Why it still matters

Women dunking isn't a novelty anymore — Griner made it regular, Belibi made it a high-school story, and Juju Watkins's class will push the total past 35 distinct players before the decade ends. The question was never whether women could dunk. It was whether the rims would get lowered on anyone's watch, and the answer was always: no.

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