There is a new league in town, and it is called Dunk Man. Shaq just launched it, gathering 24 of the best dunkers on the planet to compete for $500,000, live-streamed on TNT this summer. Yesterday in Dallas, I sat down with one of those 24, my friend Cam Hazzard, to find out how he made the cut, why non-NBA dunkers tend to fly higher than the league’s stars, and where he ranks himself in the field.
Cam is a professional dunker who trains specifically for vertical, power, and style — the three traits he says separate elite dunkers from the rest. He is one of the few people in the world who can hit a 360 under both legs, and he is heading into the Dunk Man League with no shortage of confidence.
Why Shaq Built the Dunk Man League
Shaq has watched dunkers outside of the NBA put down dunks that no NBA Slam Dunk Contest has ever matched. He wanted a stage where the actual best dunkers in the world could compete head-to-head and settle the question for good. So he assembled 24 of them, put up half a million dollars in prize money, and partnered with TNT to live-stream the event.
The traditional dunk contest scoring system has always relied on celebrity judges handing out tens, which made it tough to crown a truly objective winner. Dunk Man is rolling out a new scoring system designed to measure dunks more accurately, so the world finally finds out who deserves the crown.
Where Cam Ranks Among the 24
I asked Cam to be honest about where he stacks up against the other 23 dunkers in the league. His answer:
“I’ll be honest, I’m a little cocky right now, but I think I’m definitely in the top five.”
What makes a top-five dunker? Cam breaks it down into three traits: style, power, and vertical. Most dunkers have one or two of those, but the rare ones have all three. Cam believes he is in that small group, and watching him work out in the gym, it is easy to see why.
Cam’s Best Dunk: The 360 Under Both
Cam’s signature dunk right now is the 360 under both legs. He estimates fewer than 10 people in the world can pull it off. That is the kind of move that ends careers — not because it injures anyone, but because once a judge sees it live, every other dunk that night has to measure up against it.
Why Non-NBA Dunkers Are Actually the Best in the World
A lot of fans assume the NBA Slam Dunk Contest is the highest level of dunking. Cam pushed back on that, and his reasoning makes sense once you hear it. NBA players train for everything — agility, stamina, shooting, defense, and the ability to last an entire 48-minute game. Their training is spread across a massive surface area.
Professional dunkers only have to jump for one second at a time. That means they can train far more specifically for jumping, recovery, and creative body control in the air. When you obsess over a single niche, you improve faster than someone who is trying to be elite at ten things at once. It is the same principle we apply in our marketing work — the people who win are the ones who go deep on one thing instead of spreading themselves thin.
Where the Dunk Man League Is Headed
The Dunk Man League is going to be live-streamed on TNT this summer, and you can follow along through the Dunk Man Official Instagram account, which is already posting clips. Cam thinks viewers are going to see things they have never seen before on a basketball court, and based on the prep work the 24 competitors are putting in, I believe him.
What People Need to Know About Cam Hazzard
Cam’s message for anyone hearing his name for the first time was simple — do not ignore him for too long, because he is a showman and the world is going to know him eventually. After watching his dunks in Dallas, I have to agree. You can follow his journey, see more of his dunks, and book him for events at camhazzard.com.
Cam is one of the athletes I have been excited to feature because his story is a perfect example of what happens when you commit fully to a niche and put in the reps. Whether you are a dunker, a marketer, or an agency owner, the same principle holds: pick your one thing, train for it every day, and the rest takes care of itself.
Are you going to be watching the Dunk Man League on TNT this summer? Who do you think takes home the $500,000 — and have you seen Cam’s 360 under both yet?