On Episode 21 of the Dunk Talk, I sat down with Travis Reynolds, also known as “Travis Dunks,” a professional dunker from North Carolina. He talked through how he went from an overweight kid to a high-level dunker, detailing key milestones, injuries, and lessons from training.
Travis Reynolds: From Childhood to Dunking Obsession
Travis wasn’t naturally athletic. He describes himself as a “little chubby overweight kid” who played sports casually. Basketball and flag football were passing interests.
Everything changed around age 11 or 12. A classmate touched something he couldn’t, and that triggered a deep interest in jumping. That spark turned into full-on obsession by summer 2014, when pro dunkers started appearing on Instagram. Jonathan Clark and Isaiah Rivera stood out. He remembers watching J-Clark’s 360 elbow dunk, filmed by Billy Doran: “My mind was blown.”
At the time, he could barely touch an 8-foot rim. But that video set his path. He followed Isaiah early and watched how dunkers improved over time.
Picture from Travis on a low rim when he was a kid, VS now on 10ft
From Messing Around to Structured Training
Travis’s early dunk sessions were unstructured. He describes just “screwing around” on low rims, jumping as much as he could. There was no method, no plan—just repetition and effort. Hours every day added up.
He got his first dunk on a 10-foot rim in April 2018, at age 15. For almost two years, he stuck to simple one-handers.
Everything shifted in late 2019 when knee pain forced him to change. He joined a vertical jump coaching program. That decision introduced real structure to his training.
Before that, Travis hated lifting. He would quit programs in days, always preferring to just jump. But structured coaching finally gave him the consistency he needed. It helped him address proximal patella tendonopathy (jumper’s knee) and created a long-term system for vertical development.
He admits the pain came from jumping too often without warming up. His routine included daily, sometimes twice-daily, jump sessions—going straight into max effort. Weighing around 210 pounds with a 35-inch vertical added stress.
By June 2020, he lost 40 pounds through improved diet and consistent work, getting down to around 170 pounds. That significantly reduced stress on his knees.
Travis Reynolds’ First Behind-the-Back
The behind-the-back dunk became a key milestone. He worked on it throughout 2020, attempting it repeatedly every session before finally making it in early October. Today, he still uses standing low-rim drills to isolate parts of dunk technique. That approach matters more after his history with knee and back problems. Lower impact sessions help refine form without extra fatigue.
Travis hitting a BTB during a 2023 dunk show
Injuries and Rebuilding After Back Pain
One of Travis’ biggest challenges has been long-term back pain. It started with poor lifting form. Early on, he did deep squats without understanding spinal alignment, which led to a disc bulge.
He managed the pain for a while, but over time, repeated Eastbay dunks (which use heavy spinal flexion) made things worse.
At Dunk Camp 2022, he aggravated the issue trying self-bounce two-hand Eastbays. He felt a small pop. That became a herniated L5 disc. He couldn’t train or jump for months.
His recovery followed principles from Dr. Stuart McGill, a spine specialist.
One tool he used was taking brisk walks, which helped decompress and move the nerves. Over time, that helped reduce pain.
He now avoids barbell squats and deadlifts. Instead, he trains with a belt squat machine. It allows leg loading without spinal pressure. The machine was expensive, but he considers it essential.
Travis urges others to take back pain seriously. Pushing through it only makes things worse.
The North Carolina Dunk Squad
Travis is one of the founding members of a group of North Carolina-based dunkers. He’s known Ben Hopkins since they were three. Obi Chamberlain and Dan Gross connected with him on Instagram in 2019–2020, and they started dunking together regularly. Dan’s high school gym, Calvary Day School, became a regular session spot thanks to its clean floors and solid lighting.
Sam joined more recently after they realized they lived close enough to meet. Though he lives three hours away, Travis says he appreciates the energy Sam brings when he joins.
His home gym is the local YMCA, though the slippery floors are a known issue. The Eastbay elbow dunk he hit recently was at High Point University, which has solid rims and a nice gym, but is often crowded during the school year.
Group picture from a session I had with some of the NC Dunkers in July, 2025
Travis Reynolds’ Best Dunks
Travis approaches dunking like a long-term project. He doesn’t just show up and try something new—he picks a dunk, studies it, and commits to figuring it out over time. That includes breaking down clips frame by frame, comparing his own attempts side by side, and watching other dunkers to understand what separates a clean make from a miss. He even works on ball control and handling to get more consistent with timing and lob placement.
That process—plus work in the gym—has helped him land dunks that many overlook in difficulty or haven’t been done before.
Here are just a few that stand out:
- Hide and Seek Mime Scorpion – A hybrid of two advanced dunk styles: the Hide and Seek lob pass and the Scorpion finish. Travis throws the ball over his shoulder with his left hand, catches it with his right, and finishes in a no-look Scorpion position. He’s the first and only person to hit this dunk.
- Hide and Seek Two Hander – He’s the first and only person to ever land it, after grinding through more than 10 straight sessions of attempts. He throws the ball over his shoulder with his left hand, catches it with his right, and finishes the dunk with two-hands.
- Self Bounce Eastbay Elbow Dunk – Travis is the first person ever to land this dunk. It starts with a self bounce lob during his approach, followed by a between-the-legs, and finished with his elbow in the rim. Only a few people have ever hit this dunk in any form, and Travis is the first to do it off a self bounce. One of the rarest and most impressive dunks he’s ever completed.
- 360 Behind the Back Dunk – Travis hit his first 360 behind the back at an iconic session with Jordan Kilganon in Sudbury, Canada. Since then, it’s become a pretty consistent dunk for him—which is extremely impressive given how difficult it is.
- Under Both Legs – Travis first hit this dunk in mid-2024. It’s a very difficult one, but he’s starting to get more consistent.
- 360 Elbow – Travis landed this dunk for the first time in 2025, another rare and demanding dunk.
- Self Bounce Two Hand Eastbay – Travis first landed this dunk at Dunk Camp 2024 in Wisconsin. One of the more physically demanding dunks that originally contributed to his L5 injury.
These are just a few highlights. Travis has landed many more creative and technical dunks throughout his career—and continues to add to the list.
Travis hitting a Hide and Seek at the Dunk Camp 2024 in Texas
Dunk Shoes: Jordan Why Not 3.0s
One thing about Travis is that he doesn’t follow shoe trends. He sticks with what works: the Jordan Why Not 3.0s, discovered through Isaiah in 2020.
They aren’t the most advanced shoes, but they fit his wide feet. He’s on at least his third pair now. He keeps buying them, even paying $300 on resale, because newer options don’t feel right.
He’s tried the All City 11 V2s from Way of Wade, which according to him are great on bad courts, but too grippy on good ones. That grip throws off his timing.
He also recalls dunking in LeBrons early on, which he jokingly refers to as “massive sandbags.”
Even though the Why Not 3.0s occasionally hurt his feet, he still prefers them. He’s open to trying new models and hopes to continue working with brands down the line.
Since this interview was recorded, he’s been wearing the Game1 Low from Serious Player Only—a collab with pro dunker Jordan Kilganon—and he’s been liking them a lot. He might be slowly making the switch, which is cool to see.
Dunk Camp, Canada Trip, and Competing
Travis has attended the Dunk Camp every year since 2021. He values the chance to meet other pro dunkers and to share sessions with others from the dunking world.
In 2024 and 2025, Travis has actually been attending the camp as a pro dunker instead of as a camper. He’s been coaching athletes on dunk and jump technique and helping out around the camp—which is cool to see, especially considering he started out as a camper himself.
Travis and I at the Dunk Camp 2025 in Farmington, Utah
He’s competed in local contests too, including one where he beat Dan Gross.
He also joined Five Cent City in Canada, where he got to dunk alongside Jordan Kilganon in a show. He and Jordan both landed the Hide and Seek dunk—the first time two people have ever hit that dunk at the same event. Jordan also jumped over a car.
In a separate session during that same trip, Travis hit his first 360 behind-the-back dunk in one of his all-time favorite gyms.
Recently, in August of 2025, Travis had the chance to compete in a dunk contest in the Atlanta Hawks’ NBA arena during a 24 hour live event hosted by streamer Davis Dodds, which he won.
Travis after his win during the 24 hour streaming event
Black Band, Goals, and Progress
Travis tracks his progress on a giant whiteboard full of dunks he wants to hit. When one gets checked off, he replaces it with another.
In November 2024, Travis checked off one of his biggest goals—completing the full Dunk Camp Black Band. This challenge consists of five elite dunks: 360 Eastbay, 360 Behind the Back, Scorpion, Under Both Legs, and Eastbay off the Backboard. Each one must be landed on a rim measuring 9’11.5″ or higher. Travis hit all five in a single session, becoming one of the first 10 dunkers ever to achieve this milestone.
He’s also working on the 360 lost and found, and improving his left-hand dunks, an area he says needs work. In fact, Travis and I filmed a podcast on why your off-hand is so important for dunking.
He doesn’t focus much on vertical numbers anymore, though he once hit 44 inches on a vertec.
His goal is to reach 48 to 50 inches, but ongoing back pain affects his training. He estimates his reach at 8’1.5″, which means a 48″ vertical would allow him to touch 12’1.5″. But the number isn’t the focus—success in dunking is.
Looking Ahead for Travis Reynolds
Travis is one of the most creative and skilled dunkers in the world today. He’s hit tons of insane dunks—some of which have never been done by anyone else. Despite his talent, he remains one of the most underrated athletes in the dunk community when it comes to contests and event opportunities. He’s built a large following on social media, but hasn’t yet received the exposure or invites that truly reflect his ability.
That’s the next step in his journey. More dunk contests, shows, and event organizers should be reaching out—because Travis is more than ready, and more than qualified.
In July 2025, I had the chance to stay with Travis for about 10 days in NC, where we dunked, trained, and just had a great time. We got tons of content from that trip.
Flathead catfish that Travis, Ben, and I caught during my NC trip
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