Meet the tallest player in the NBA to have never dunked in a game

Orlando Magic guard Anthony insists that 22-year-old Caleb Houstan once dunked on his teammate, the defensive specialist Wendell Carter Jr., during a scrimmage a few years ago. According to Anthony’s version of the story, Houstan stormed down the court, leaped over Carter, and slammed the ball over his head.

While Anthony seems to cherish this moment, he admits, “(Houstan) probably doesn’t remember that.” And for good reason — the tale, although entertaining, might be more embellished than fact.

As Anthony enthusiastically recounted the alleged dunk, Houstan, standing beside him, quickly shot back with, “I don’t remember that,” adding a bit of sass to his response.

Anthony’s insistence on the dunk’s reality may have less to do with truth and more to do with his ongoing playful antics with friends like Houstan and Carter. Why? Because Houstan, at 6-foot-8, is the tallest active player in the NBA who has never dunked in a regular season game, despite qualifying by playing over 500 minutes.

Though Houstan has dunked in other settings—such as in college and open gyms—Anthony claims that during a scrimmage, Houstan once obliterated Carter’s defense. But Carter, who’s shared the court with Anthony for five seasons and with Houstan for three, denies it, laughing off Anthony’s story.https://svtoday.org/2025/02/25/nbas-tallest-player-without-a-dunk-caleb-houstan/

“Caleb ain’t never dunked on me,” Carter declared. “That’s cap.” He chuckled, calling Anthony’s claims just another example of his endless “chatter.” “He’s from New York,” Carter added with a smile. “You know how that s— goes.”

While Anthony lacks proof of this elusive dunk, Houstan does, in fact, have a solid jumping ability. He’s demonstrated it during practice, and even Anthony has captured video of a windmill dunk on his phone—a clip he shared with The Athletic, hoping to bolster his story. But whether or not Houstan ever dunked on Carter doesn’t change the fact that Houstan can dunk—he’s done it before in college, high school, and the G League.

So why has he gone 2,073 NBA minutes without dunking in a game? “I never really had the opportunity to dunk,” Houstan said, adding that most of his shots are three-pointers. “But when the time comes around, yeah.”

If Houstan ever dunks, Matt Ryan, a 6-foot-7 sharpshooter for the New York Knicks, would inherit the title of tallest active player without an in-game slam. Ryan, who dunks during warm-ups, explained, “For a shooter, you need a good amount of minutes over a lot of games for a dunk opportunity.”

Houstan, who’s primarily a perimeter shooter, has spent most of his career focusing on three-point shots. In fact, 85% of his attempts have come from beyond the arc, leaving little room for dunking. He doesn’t leak out for fast breaks much, preferring the fundamentals like boxing out rather than running for easy slams.

In his rookie season, Houstan did get a rare chance to dunk after a steal by Orlando, but a minor interference from veteran Robin Lopez thwarted his attempt. “No basket. No dunk,” Houstan said of the missed opportunity, though he doesn’t seem bothered by it now.

Even if he doesn’t get a dunk, Houstan still has time. At 22, he’s far from the NBA’s “dunkless wonder.” That distinction belongs to 6-foot-10 Steve Novak, who played 5,657 NBA minutes across a decade-long career but never dunked in a game. Novak only realized he held the record when a social media post pointed it out, and now, he fully embraces it.

“I own it, 100 percent,” Novak said, though he admitted to one regret: missing a dunk opportunity while playing for the Knicks, when Larry Sanders of the Bucks was close behind. Novak, deciding against going for a dunk, laid it in instead. “I blame Larry,” he joked. “If it wasn’t for Larry, I would certainly not be a part of this conversation.”

As for Houstan, he says if he ever finds himself alone with a chance for a dunk, he’d “probably” go for it, although he playfully suggests he might lay it in just to keep the mystery alive. “That would be funny,” Houstan said, chuckling. “But I feel like you gotta get multiple of those to really celebrate it.”

If he does dunk, don’t expect him to showboat. But expect his teammates, especially Carter and Anthony, to celebrate it in style.

“I might do a backflip,” Anthony joked, referring to a viral video of YouTube streamer Speed doing a backflip during a live stream. “That’s gonna be me when Caleb gets a dunk in a game.”

But Carter isn’t buying it. “Another example of him chattering,” he said, laughing off Anthony’s over-the-top celebrations. “He’s just always chatting.”