Some of Shaquille O’Neal’s most iconic NBA moments were him dunking on opponents.The lob he caught from Kobe Bryant in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals helped spark the first of three consecutive championships for the Los Angeles Lakers. O’Neal’s annihilation of Chris Dudley in 1999 showcased his power, footwork and showmanship.“The Diesel” has watched and judged many of the recent NBA slam-dunk contests. He says what he’s seen has usually been “terrible,” and he decided to do something about it.The result is the Dunkman league for competitive dunkers, which will hold its first championship on Aug. 25.Shaq dunkThe league evolved from the first season of the “Dunkman” television show last December, which featured dunkers from around the world. But those dunks weren’t in front of a live audience and didn’t include this level of judging. This season’s competition began with 24 dunkers and is down to eight finalists who will compete for a $500,000 prize live on TNT and HBO Max. Mac McClung, a three-time NBA slam-dunk contest champion, is the No. 1 seed in the finals.Dunkers competed in four group stages at Overtime Elite (capacity of 1,300) in Atlanta over four weeks, with each winner advancing to the championship round. The remaining four dunkers were wild-card selections based on the next four highest scores. Five judges scored made and missed dunks based on set criteria. All of the dunkers, many of whom made a name for themselves in international competitions that can be found across the internet, are compensated for their participation.“The best dunkers were always professional athletes,” O’Neal said. “Now you’ve got these kids that are way better dunkers than our professional athletes. So, I wanted to bring it together and treat them like professionals.”O’Neal is the league’s founder and commissioner. With the help of Chuck Millan, a dunk coach and CEO/founder of Team Flight Brothers, O’Neal aimed to gather the best dunkers as an offseason alternative to the NBA. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer was never in the dunk contest himself during his nearly 20-year NBA career but has had a close look at many over the past few decades.He believes that the great contests have been outliers, with many of the All-Star Weekend competitions leaving viewers unfulfilled. The Zach LaVine vs. Aaron Gordon duel in 2016 remains one of the best in recent memory, but many of the game’s biggest stars consistently refuse to participate. Without the stars, it’s largely a contest for young or unproven players. The last eventual NBA All-Star to win the contest was rookie Donovan Mitchell in 2018.Aaron Gordon dunkFormer Toronto Raptors great Vince Carter is part of the Dunkman commentary team. He won the 2000 All-Star Weekend contest with a performance that is still talked about, sticking his arm through the rim and hanging on the rim from his elbow, something that hadn’t been seen before.