How to dunk in NBA 2K22

Nick Farrell
nba 2k22 dunk requirements

Rising up against opposing players within NBA 2K22 is one of the best feelings, and your created player is going to perform some stellar plays if you have the right attributes for dunking and contact dunking this year.

2K Games is soaring into the sporting genre once again with their annual release of the NBA 2K franchise, and NBA 2K22 has taken new heights when it comes to their staple game modes such as MyCareer and MyTeam.

Your created player that you’ll use within MyCareer and online play within The City is going to be one of the most essential aspects of the game.

However, if you’re keen on dunking against other players, or just performing flashy dunks in general, it’s good to know the baseline requirements for dunking/contact dunking within NBA 2K22.

The City nba 2k22
2K22’s new City is the perfect place to show off your dunking abilities.

How to dunk in NBA 2K22

Dunking is one of the abilities that we have seen all the time within the NBA, and during a match of 2K, you’re going to want to pull off this move a few times within the game.

If you’re looking to dunk during a game, there are two types of dunks you’ll be able to use. These are aggressive and dominant dunks, and they each have their own animations and separate dunks that you can unlock for your player.

Below is how you’ll be able to perform both of these within NBA 2K22.

  • Dominant – Hold RT/R2 on your controller and pull your right joystick up, left or right while driving to the rim
  • Aggressive – Hold RT/R2 on your controller and pull your right joystick down while driving to the rim

Doing one of these actions will perform one of the many dunks within the game, but there are certain attributes that’ll make it a lot easier to dunk in traffic or to perform flashier moves.

How to perform a contact dunk in NBA 2K22

zion dunking
Zion features one of the highest dunk ratings within the game yet again.

Most of the time you’re not going to get a clear-cut breakaway to the net, as there’s more than likely going to be some defenders in your way. So, this is where the contact dunk rating comes in handy, and in previous years certain attributes were key in order to perform this move.

However, some Reddit users have noted that 2K has changed this for 2K22 and depending on the type of build your MyPlayer is centered around, will dictate what level of standing dunk, driving dunk, and contact you’ll need to perform a standing dunk.

TheGmaster23 on Reddit has put together a lovely list of all the needed attributes you’ll need to perform these contact dunks within the game, which we’ve embedded down below for your convenience.

The general consensus is that within 2K22, it’s much hard to perform contact dunks as opposed to years past, which is honestly, a great sight to see!


In the meantime, be sure to get up to speed with some other NBA 2K22 news with some of our guides listed below.

Best jump shots to use | Player ratings | Best badges to use | What College should you choose? | Controls guide

Related Topics

About The Author

Nick is a former Dexerto Games Writer based in Newfoundland, Canada, who covered a wide array of games and esports. Nick has published bylines at multiple outlets such as G FUEL, NME, Gfinity.