Joel Henry, known as The Royal Guard, is a London-born professional dunker and widely regarded as Britain's leading dunker. He is a fixture on the FIBA 3x3 World Tour, a competitor in Shaq's DunkMan League, and one of the most consistent contest dunkers in Europe.
He has been lighting up FIBA 3x3 events for years. He claimed the dunk title at the 2019 Nanjing Masters, took the crown at the World Tour stop in Utsunomiya, and won an individual silver medal representing Great Britain at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup dunk contest. He also captained Team Henry at the inaugural Dunk Mania event at the 2026 World Cup.
Before dunking became the main event, Henry played professional basketball in Britain with the London Lions and the Surrey Scorchers. That background shows in how he competes, with the timing and body control of someone who spent years playing rather than only training for contests. He stands 6'1" with a 48" vertical and jumps off two feet.
His bag leans heavily on the scorpion, and his variations of it have been influential enough that other dunkers have built on them. The signature that carries his nickname is simply called The Royal Guard. He has also been vegan for years and credits his plant-based diet for a good deal of how he feels physically and mentally at this stage of his career.
Dunkman League 2026. He finished second in Group Stage A on July 21 with 8.87, behind Cam Hazzard. All four groups are now complete and his 8.87 finished third on the wildcard board, behind Jordan Southerland and Dylan Haugen from Group D. He advances to the World Championship on August 25. The Dunkman League runs four group stages of six at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The four group winners advance to the World Championship on August 25 along with the four highest scoring non-winners across all groups, for a field of eight and a $500,000 prize.