Wisevoter
Tucson

Tucson Athlete Pursued Professional Dunking Career

Local basketball talent Jack Allard has set his sights on the DUNKMAN professional dunking league.

Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Basketball

Expressive editorial sports illustration of a basketball player performing a high-flying dunk against a minimalist background.
Tucson athlete Jack Allard is training for a professional career in DUNKMAN, a league founded by Shaquille O'Neal to elevate professional dunking. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Would you pursue a career as a professional athlete in a newly established, niche sports league?

Tucson-based athlete Jack Allard is currently training to join the professional ranks of the DUNKMAN league. Founded by Shaquille O'Neal, the league seeks to elevate the art of the dunk as a formal, professional sport.

Why it matters

Allard aims to secure the title of DUNKMAN world champion, helping to validate dunking as a career path. Professional leagues like DUNKMAN offer dunkers financial compensation and broader awareness within the basketball world.

Jack Allard features a 44-inch vertical jump and stands 6-feet tall. The inaugural season of DUNKMAN showcased eight elite dunkers competing for a $500,000 top prize.

The players

Jack Allard

He is a Tucson athlete and former college basketball player who attended Ironwood Ridge High School and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU.

Shaquille O'Neal

He is a legendary former NBA star who founded DUNKMAN as the first professional league dedicated to the sport of dunking.

Kadour Ziani

He is a pioneer in the sport of dunking who founded the World Dunk Association in 2007.

The details

After recovering from knee surgery throughout 2023, Allard has returned to his self-taught training regimen to prepare for competition. He utilizes platforms like Dunk Camp and Dunkademics to refine his skills and showcase his vertical leaping ability.

Timeline

  1. Kadour Ziani founded the World Dunk Association in 2007.

  2. Jack Allard played basketball at Eastern Oregon University during the 2021-22 season.

  3. Jack Allard spent most of 2023 undergoing knee surgery and recovery.

  4. In October 2026, Allard continued training for the professional league.

Season Trajectory

The emergence of DUNKMAN marks a shift from independent dunking exhibitions to a formal professional framework. This transition mirrors the evolution of other niche sports into structured leagues with dedicated prize pools.

Allard's successful transition to the league would mark a return to high-level competition following his 2023 knee surgery. His 44-inch vertical jump serves as the key metric for his viability in the professional DUNKMAN circuit.

The takeaway

Professional dunking is moving toward a standard competitive format that rewards technical skill with significant prize money. Athletes like Allard demonstrate that consistent, self-taught training is now a viable pathway for high-level athletic competition.

Further reading

For more on local developments in the sport, see Basketball

Source note: This article includes information reported by Cronkite News.

Live Poll

Would you pursue a career as a professional athlete in a newly established, niche sports league?