Shaquille O'Neal could not literally dunk without bending his knees or leaving the floor entirely, but due to his extraordinary height of 7 feet 1 inch and an enormous standing reach, he required minimal vertical elevation to flush the basketball through the hoop. While standard players must explode upwards to reach the ten-foot rim, his towering stature meant he could perform dunks with just a tiny hop or standard stride extension off the hardwood, making the basket look effortless during his dominant career.