Any discussion of iconic reverse dunks has to include the original from Mr. Dennard -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tfBO9WWtF0
I briefly thought this thread said “Most Ironic Duke Dunkers”. JJ’s senior dunk was the first to spring to mind.
You've got to consider Grant and Grayson for the top ten. Gene Banks had a elbow bender and I remember David Henderson could throw it down. Top three for me would be Zion, JD, and Maggette.
GTHC
I have definite "classmate bias", but Coach regularly ran back door alley oops for Johnny. Probably he shortest guy I've seen have that set specifically designed for him.
I think its the sideline near midcourt inbounds with the back screen, curl, alley oop for Johnny to which you refer. They couldn't stop it when they knew it was coming, or they simply couldn't believe it was coming. During the Dawkins era (and before), when the students came into Cameron hours before tip, the first round of pregame layups (before the officials came out) including a dunking line. Johnny really showed some stuff in those dunk fests.
GTHC
Magette, Dahntay Jones, Henderson, Zion, Stanley are the most obviius for me in the past twenty-something years. I seem to recall that Grayson Allen had some pretty spectacular dunks every once in a while, too.
On the theme of classmate bias, Carmen Wallace probably had one of the top verticals in Duke history, but didn't get to actually play very much. A year behind me was Ricky Price, who had more opportunities than Carmen to demonstrate his ups and dunking prowess. Neither likely deserves to be on the Mount Rushmore of Duke dunkers, but they are worthy of mention.
Ricky Price was the only other player besides Zion that I can recall doing a 360 during a game in Cameron.
Grants dunk against Marquette in the 1994 Sweet 16 was a get out of my way im taking over this game kinda dunk.
Maybe not as explosive as some of the guys on this list, but I thought that Luol Deng was fun to watch during his only season at Duke. It seems like every game he had at least one play where you thought, "How in the world did he pull that off?"