Shaquille O’Neal’s new professional dunk league, DUNKMAN, delivered a historic moment at Fanatics Fest as athlete Darius Clark set a new world record with a 53-inch vertical jump.
The record-breaking leap was witnessed live by fans, and O’Neal immediately awarded Clark a $15,000 prize for the achievement.
The event featured a full slate of DUNKMAN activities, including a press conference introducing four of the league’s 24 competitors, highlighted by three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung and Chinese dunking standout Dengxing Chen. O’Neal also welcomed rising NBA star Cooper Flagg for an episode of The Big Podcast.
Presented by Lilly in partnership with Credit One Bank, DUNKMAN officially launches its inaugural season on July 21 at 8 p.m. ET in Atlanta. The competition will air on TNT and HBO Max, with additional coverage available through Bleacher Report, House of Highlights, and DUNKMAN’s social media channels.
The league will feature five live events culminating in the Aug. 25 World Championship, where the winner will earn a $500,000 grand prize—the largest payout in professional dunking history.
