High School

SLAM DUNK: No. 11 girls recruit dunks basketball in high school game day after meeting Caitlin Clark

Missouri native, Iowa recruit, Addison Bjorn stuns crowd with unexpected slam dunk

Levi Payton

Park Hill South 2026 standout guard Addison Bjorn.
Park Hill South 2026 standout guard Addison Bjorn. / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive

What a week it's been for Park Hill South standout junior Addison Bjorn.

Already a two-time gold medalist with Team USA by the time she turned 17, Bjorn is unquestionably one of the best high school girls basketball players walking the planet today. She's the No. 11 ranked player for the Class of 2026 per ESPN HoopGurlz Super 60 recruiting rankings - which she's likely to climb considering her immense talent and production this season.

At 6-foot-2 and approximately 135 pounds, there isn't much Bjorn can't do on a basketball court. She's a guard with handles who can produce from anywhere on the floor. She's a fine passer, big-time rebounder and, by all accounts, a great teammate.

And she can dunk a basketball.

To the delight of a roaring crowd, Bjorn proved it recently in a game against Oak Park at the North Kansas City Tournament when she punctuated a 66-46 victory over the 14-3 Lady Oakies on Feb. 5 with her first career varsity slam dunk, which came in the fourth quarter. The win improved her Panthers to 19-0 overall.

As if her dunk weren't notable enough, it happened one day after meeting Indiana Fever star, and Iowa Hawkeyes legend, Caitlin Clark, at the WIN for KC Women's Sports Awards, where Clark was a featured guest, and Bjorn received the Children's Mercy Kansas City Rising Star Award from Win for KC.

Another nugget for Hawkeyes fans to stew on: She dunked the day after meeting with Clark and three days after being on campus in Iowa City to witness the Hawkeyes upset No. 7 USC, 76-69.

Iowa is one of the college finalists Bjorn announced in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that she is considering along with UCLA, UCONN, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Duke, North Carolina, Stanford, Kansas, Kansas State, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville and Notre Dame.

How unexpected was Bjorn's dunk? Well, unfortunately, the cameras weren't ready for it. While there were plenty of witnesses to confirm it happened, one of the most legendary dunks in Missouri high school history might only live on in legend told by those who were there.

"Unfortunately, I have not heard of any [video]," Panthers coach Josh Dorr told High School on SI. "The Hudl camera did not pan over quick enough."

"I did not know if she would try," Dorr added. "She has had a few other opportunities and not tried.. I usually look at her eyes and they had a different look in them this time.. She is a great competitor who is more worried about making the basket. i think that influences her decision a lot of the time."

Dorr said Bjorn also dunked in an AAU game "a couple years ago" and occasionally dunks for fun in practice.

News of the dunk sent the internet into a buzz, with one X user commenting, "That’s incredible! Really hope she becomes a Hawkeye, but will be fun to follow her career either way. She’s very impressive in her interviews as well."

While at least one online skeptic said they'd need to see video proof, those in attendance, including Coach Dorr, only wished to see it again.

To say Dorr was shocked, however, would probably be an overstatement. He's had a front row seat to Bjorn's greatness.

She is averaging a double double this season with 21.7 points and 12.1 rebounds per game to go along with 3.7 assists and 2.9 steals. She dropped a season-high 30 points on 12-of-19 field goals against Strafford earlier this season and dropped 29 apiece against Blue Valley and Grandview.

She pulled down 18 rebounds against both Bellevue (Neb.) West and Smithville and had 17 boards against Liberty North and St. Joseph Benton, respectively. She had a season-high six steals on three occasions - against Fair Grove, Blue Valley and Belton.

As impressive as those numbers are, they pale in comparison to the hardware she's won on an international level. After attending the inaugural USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team April minicamp in Dallas in 2023, she was named to the U16 Team USA squad on June 4, 2023 and went on to help Team USA go 6-0 and win gold at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Merida, Mexico. She averaged 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in four games.

Bjorn returned to Team USA in 2024, this time averaging 9.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists across seven games while helping the U17 squad win a gold medal at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Leon, Mexico.

Whether she decides to pull off another dunk for the cameras, or unless video emerges of the now infamous slam, remains to be seen. But make no mistake, Addison Bjorn's game, and her name, will continue to be seen for years to come.

That's a slam dunk.

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

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