NBA: Top 5 Slam Dunk Contest duels EVER
The annual slam dunk is probably the most unpredictable event of the All-Star weekend. When in full swing, it can be not only the highlight of the weekend but even the regular season. The American Basketball Association (ABA) held the inaugural slam dunk contest in 1976 with Julius Erving being crowned its first champion. The NBA eventually adopted the concept for the first time in 1984 when Larry Nance won the title.
There have been numerous stars who made appearances in the contest such as, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving, Blake Griffin, Tracy Mcgrady, Vince Carter, etc. The contest also is a platform for players to showcase their innovativeness and technicality which sometimes shoots them to stardom too.
Here is a look back at some the instances where the crowd was treated some of the greatest duels in the competition's history:
#5 Spud Webb Vs Dominique Wilkins (1986)
This is as close to an enactment of David Vs Goliath on a basketball court as any. The difference being, they were both teammates in this instance. The 5' 7" Spudd Webb took on the 6' 8" Dominique Wilkins. The twenty-two-year-old Webb being a heavy underdog against the defending champion Wilkins.
Both contestants put on a show, going back and forth through the competition. Wilkins went with a methodical approach that had consistency, power and more power. The first dunk he made was a two-handed windmill that could be felt throughout the arena. He ended with a thunderous reverse slam.
Webb's first dunk was also a reverse which was slammed so hard that it hit his head and came back out through the basket. He also had a 360 one hand slam. With the final dunk, Spud executed a one-handed overhand bounce pass that leaps from the ground, bounces off the backboard, and goes back into his outstretched, soaring hand. He snatches the rock swiftly and slingshots it home to pull off the fairytale win.