After dominating the basketball court and building a massive business empire, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal is officially taking flight into brand new territory. The superstar has announced the launch of “DUNKMAN,” the world’s first-ever professional dunking league.
Why launch a league entirely dedicated to dunking? For O’Neal, it comes down to restoring the lost excitement of the slam dunk. He hasn’t been shy about his disappointment in the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest, candidly admitting that the event has been subpar for the last 12 years.
“It hurts my heart,” Shaq told Forbes, noting that when he was growing up, the dunk contest was the absolute highlight of All-Star Weekend. His motivation for creating DUNKMAN is to build a better, standalone platform that treats the world’s best high-flyers as true professionals.
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal and @TNTSportsUS are launching DUNKMAN, the world’s first professional dunking league in Summer 2026.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 6, 2026
The inaugural DUNKMAN season will feature 24 of the best dunkers competing live in a brand-new league format for a grand prize of $500,000. pic.twitter.com/bnul6zF1bH
Debuting in the summer of 2026, the league is a joint partnership between O’Neal, TNT Sports, and Eli Lilly and Company. The inaugural season will feature 24 elite dunkers competing in a brand-new live event format.
Athletes will battle through four group-stage events to secure a spot in the DUNKMAN World Championship, where the ultimate winner will walk away with a massive $500,000 grand prize. Fans will be able to catch the high-flying action across TNT Sports platforms, including TBS, truTV, and HBO Max.
Shaq isn’t just attaching his famous name to the venture; he is stepping into the official role of League Commissioner. His hands-on responsibilities will include creating the head-to-head matchups and helping design a point system where expert judges evaluate each athlete’s hangtime and vertical leap.
DUNKMAN is just the latest addition to O’Neal’s massive and diverse business portfolio, which already includes everything from his Big Chicken restaurant chain to a brand-new “Slams” version of his Shaq-A-Licious gummies.
Photo Credit: TNT
