Shaquille O’Neal and TNT Sports have announced the premiere date and full roster for Dunkman, the first professional league built entirely around dunking. Live competition begins Tuesday, July 21 at 8 p.m. ET, with the world championships set for Tuesday, August 25 at 8 p.m. ET. The winner will take home a grand prize of $500,000.
The league was launched by O’Neal, who serves as founder and commissioner, alongside Warner Bros. Discovery, the owner of TNT, and Authentic Brands Group. Dunkman is presented by pharmaceutical giant Lilly in partnership with Credit One Bank. Live events will air across TNT and HBO Max, with additional content on Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and YouTube.
Commentary will be provided by dunk icon Vince Carter, NBA champion Draymond Green, multiplatform creator CashNasty and host Adam Lefkoe.
The league’s 24-player roster includes three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner Mac McClung, China’s top dunker Dengxing Chen and pro dunkers Tyler Currie and Isaiah Rivera. Competition is broken into four group stages before the August 25 championship. The July 21 opener features Chen, Doug Anderson, Shelby McEwen, Cam Hazzard, Jonathan Edwards and Joel Henry. The July 28 group includes Currie, Mason Baker, Jonathan Clark, Dillan McCarthy, Avante Nichols and Gustavo Haakin. The August 4 night features Rivera, New Williams, Aeramiah Binford, Vadym Piddubchenko, Hyrum Fechser and Darius Clark. The August 11 group closes out the preliminary rounds with McClung, Brandon Ruffin, Marlow Gilmore, Antonio Eaglan, Dylan Haugen and Will Bunton.
Dunkman is part of a broader trend of media companies developing their own sports leagues as the cost of broadcasting the NFL, MLB and NBA continues to climb. Warner Bros. Discovery also works with the three-on-three Unrivaled women’s basketball league and manages The Match celebrity golf tournament.