Did you see Rudy Gay’s dunk over Louis Scola and Dikembe Mutombo? This dunk was not human! Now, what about his facial on Yi Jianlian during the summer league?

Ok, we all know that the 22-year-old Memphis Grizzly can jump.

But what was his best mate in your own opinion?

“The best dunk I’ve ever had in a game happened when I was in college and we played UMass and we were running. We were probably up two points at the time. So I got a steal and went down and we did a windmill and after that we started to kill them. It was done after that. They called a timeout. The game was over.” -Rudy Gay

What about Gay’s first dunk?

“I remember my first dunk. I was in seventh grade, I was AAU and I got a steal and my teammates wanted me to get a dunk. They knew I was practicing trying to get it. So, I was guarding the point guard and he stole the ball, he took it to him. I threw to my partner and we had a fast break. He threw the ball forward and I reached for it and I dunked it. It felt great but the funny thing was I got another steal and I tried to do the same but my leg gave out and I couldn’t dunk it. Same game, next possession, I almost fell.” -Rudy Gay

Actually, the last sentence of the quote reminds me of Gay’s performance in this year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest (2008, Gay was eliminated in the first round and Dwight Howard won the contest). Rudy can definitely do better!

In case you didn’t know: the 6’9” Small Forward has a 40.5-inch vertical and claims to be able to dunk a 12-foot hoop! It’s a shame the NBA didn’t allow the rim to be raised that high in the Dunk Contest.

Now speaking of a 40+ vertical, how can you increase your vertical jump?

Everybody knows calf raises, lunges, and jump rope.

But what about simple jump squats?

It’s actually one of the most effective exercises to improve your vertical jump! But you have to do it right:

1) Normal squatting posture.
2) Lower down so your thighs are parallel to the ground.
3) Explode in the air as high as possible.
4) When you land, quickly lower into a parallel squat position. Hold this position for one second and repeat the required number of reps.

You can also vary this exercise: try to jump back into the air as soon as you land (8 repetitions).