The dunk contest is one of the most exciting events of the All-Star weekend. Over the years, there have been many iconic dunkers. However, only a few can compare to a high flyer like Vince Carter. In 2000, he set the stage on fire after pulling off one of the best dunks in dunk contest history. But, Kobe Bryant did that dunk a couple of years before Vince.

In 1997, the Mamba dunked the ball with his elbow deep. It was later that Vince took it to the big stage and made it his own.

Similar to Vince, Kobe was a very athletic player. He could soar and pull off some of the most nasty dunks. While he may not have had iconic dunks on the big stage, off the court he was a trendsetter. So in 1997, he did the elbow dunk before Carter.

Kobe Bryant gave Vince his idea?

Both Carter and Bryant were known for their athletic ability. While Vice won the dunk contest in 2000, Bryant was no less. He took part in the 1997 NBA dunk contest and came out on top. Hence, these two were some of the best at the time. But Kobe never had quite a dunk like Vince in 200, or so we thought.

In 1997, Bryant was the at the Adidas Streetball challenge. This is where he did the unthinkable. An image of Kobe Bryant dunking the ball elbow deep emerged and fans were quick to hop onto it. They accused Carter of stealing his moves who did a similar dunk as a show stopper in 2000.

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While there is no clarity on where Carter got the idea, it was impressive regardless. These two stars were at the top of their game and competed countless times through their long NBA careers. They faced off a total of 31 times through their careers while Kobe coming out on top.

While going against each other, Bryant put up 23.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists against Vince while winning 20 games. Surprisingly, despite their long careers, these two stars never faced off even once in the playoffs. However, both these stars were serious offensive powerhouses and a showdown between these two would have been one to watch.

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Who do you think would win a dunk contest between Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter? Let us know in the comments below.