Mason Baker’s journey into professional dunking started in the most unexpected way, and in this episode of Dunk Talk, I (Dylan Haugen) and my co-host Hunter Castona sat down with Mason to hear the full story. From a random encounter that launched the Utah Dunk Club to competing at Dunk Camp and building a reputation in the community, Mason’s path is proof that you don’t need a traditional athletic background to make it in professional dunking.
Who Is Mason Baker?
Mason is 6’4″, 21 years old, and from Utah. He goes by @masonbdunkin on Instagram. What surprised me about Mason is that he only started seriously dunking about a year and a half before this episode. For someone who’s relatively new to the competitive scene, his progression has been insane. I actually first met Mason briefly at the 2023 Dunk Camp pre-show, but it was only for a second — Hunter talked to him and the other Utah guys a bit more at that point. By 2024, Mason was a completely different dunker.
How a Random Encounter Started the Utah Dunk Club
One of the best stories Mason told was about how the Utah Dunk Club got started. A random guy at the gym had seen Mason dunk before and walked up to him — not even during a game, just out of the blue — and asked if he wanted to have a dunk session. Mason didn’t even know what a dunk session was at that point. But he went, and that’s how the whole thing began. He also told us about the first time he met Travis Slade: they were playing a pickup game, and all of Travis’s buddies had him guard Mason. Mason dunked on him probably nine times during the game. That was his introduction to Travis, and he loves bringing it up. The whole origin story of their dunk group is hilariously random, and it shows how sometimes the best things in this community start from the most unexpected connections.
When Dunking Became More Than a Hobby
Mason said he didn’t think of dunking as a sport at all until someone showed him that people actually compete and make a living off it. That’s when the switch flipped. Before that, he was just a tall, athletic guy who could get up — but once he realized there was a whole competitive scene with events, contests, and a real community, he started taking it seriously. The progression from casual gym dunker to someone training intentionally and building a social media presence happened fast once he had that realization.
Rim Heights and Building Confidence
We had a great discussion about rim heights and how they affect your development as a dunker. Mason made an interesting point about his own approach: he said that a 9’10” and a half soft rim to get confidence and reps on translates better for him than trying to grind everything out on a stiff 10-foot rim. He acknowledged that contests should be at 10 feet, but for training and building your repertoire, having access to slightly lower or softer rims has been valuable for his development. It was a nuanced take that tied back to our earlier Ep11 conversation about rim measuring and honesty.
The Utah Dunk Scene
Being based in Utah puts Mason in a growing dunk scene. Between the Utah Dunk Club and the proximity to Dunk Camp, he’s been able to connect with serious dunkers and get regular sessions in. We talked about how the community aspect — having guys to push you and compete against — makes a massive difference compared to training alone. Mason’s development accelerated specifically because he had a crew around him that was chasing the same goals.
Watch the full interview with Mason Baker above. Follow him on Instagram @masonbdunkin and subscribe to the Dunk Talk Podcast on YouTube so you never miss an episode.