This is the episode where I (Dylan Haugen) officially announced something I’d been hinting at for a while on the podcast: I quit basketball to go all in on dunking. My co-host Hunter Castona and I sat down to talk through the decision, what led to it, and the very real pros and cons of trying to play basketball while training as a competitive dunker.
Why I Quit Basketball
At the time of this episode, I was 5’11” and 17 years old, and I had built my vertical up to almost 40 inches. But I could literally feel basketball taking that away from me. I was playing Monday through Friday, and by the time Sunday came around — my one day to actually dunk — my body was destroyed. I was dealing with the worst knee pain of my life: quad tendon tendinitis, patellar issues, everything. Saturday was supposed to be my only rest day, and then I’d go hard on Sunday sessions. The math just didn’t work. Every week of basketball was costing me vertical inches.
The Turning Point
The real shift happened when my AAU team from the previous year fell apart and I didn’t have a team lined up for the next season. That gave me an opening to just stop and ask myself what I actually wanted to spend my time doing. The answer was dunking. I wasn’t enjoying basketball the way I used to because all I could think about during games was dunking. I was more excited about my Sunday sessions than any basketball practice or game. Once I recognized that, the decision became clear.
What Changed When I Went All In
The results were immediate and dramatic. Without basketball beating up my legs five days a week, my body recovered faster, my knees started feeling better, and my vertical began climbing again. I went from around 37 inches to eventually testing a 41.5-inch vertical. The progress wasn’t overnight, but it was consistent and noticeable through the dunks I could suddenly hit and how much higher I was getting. I also found one-on-one personal training around this time, which gave me the most benefit I’d ever seen in my jumping ability. Everything compounded once I removed basketball from the equation.
The Pros and Cons of Basketball for Dunkers
Hunter and I talked about this honestly because it’s a question that comes up constantly in the dunk community. Basketball does provide some benefits — conditioning, court awareness, and it keeps you active. But the negatives for a dedicated dunker are real. The high volume of running, cutting, and jumping in games and practices creates a ton of fatigue and joint stress that directly competes with your vertical jump training. If your primary goal is maxing out your vertical and hitting elite trick dunks, basketball practices and games are essentially junk volume that your body has to recover from instead of recovering from your actual vert training.
No Regrets
Looking back, I have zero regrets about quitting. If I hadn’t made that decision, I never would have found the dunk community, I never would have started going to dunk camps, I never would have started this podcast, and I wouldn’t have met all the incredible people who are now part of my life because of dunking. I’d probably be playing junior college basketball or at a lower-level program somewhere, and that’s fine — but this path has been so much more fulfilling. Taking a chance on something I was genuinely passionate about was the best decision I’ve made.
Watch the full episode above to hear the complete story. Subscribe to the Dunk Talk Podcast on YouTube and follow me on Instagram @dylanhaugen23 for more content.