What is "posterized"

vb. (en-past of: posterize)

Posterized is North American slang derived from an action in the game of basketball, in which the offensive player " dunks" over a defending player in a play that is spectacular and athletic enough to warrant reproduction in a printed poster. The term was originated from Julius Erving, whose high-flying style of play inspired the term.

An example of a player being 'posterized' occurred during the 2000 Summer Olympics. 6-foot-6 Vince Carter, playing for Team USA, dunked over 7-foot-2 Frédéric Weis of France.

A second example is "The Dunk" in which New York Knicks' player John Starks dunked over Horace Grant and Michael Jordan during Game 2 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals.

Posterized is also used infrequently to describe similar events in other sports and has made its way into business writing.