Watch: Michael Jordan shattered backboard during exhibition match in 1985
Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all-time. While Jordan is known to be an all-time great dunker, that is for his leaping ability more than his power.
Shattering the backboard is generally associated with powerful dunkers such as Shaquille O'Neal and Darryl Dawkins. That did not, however, stop Jordan from breaking the backboard on a breakaway dunk during a Nike exhibition in Trieste, Italy in August of 1985.
Check out rare footage of Michael Jordan shattering a backboard in 1985:
Jordan signed the jersey and shoes, the left of which had shards of glass in the sole, that he was wearing and they were both offered to charity. He finished the game, which was played in the summer following his rookie season, with 30 points. Howard White, who worked for Nike at the time and is now the Vice President of Jordan Brand, discussed the dunk in a Nike press release, stating:
"Glass was everywhere. The backboard exploded. I'm looking at his eyes, his ears… looking for little bits of glass. In the moment, it was wild. It was a little scary, because we didn't know where the glass was going."
He added:
"They were playing and then there was that moment. I don't know of any moment where one can detect something otherworldly has happened, but that one has become something grand. For MJ, though, it was just a moment in the game."
Check out highlights of Michael Jordan playing in Italy in 1985 below:
How did Michael Jordan perform in his NBA career?
Michael Jordan was drafted third overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft. In 15 seasons, the latter two of which were spent with the Washington Wizards, he averaged an NBA-record 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.7% from the field, 32.7% from three-point range and 83.5% from the free-throw line.
Jordan led the Bulls to six championships and won six NBA Finals MVPs, five NBA MVPs, three All-Star Game MVPs, the 1985 Rookie of the Year, 1988 Defensive Player of the Year, ten scoring titles and three steals titles. He was named to 14 All-Star Teams, 11 All-NBA Teams, nine All-Defensive Teams.
Jordan was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. Furthermore, he was selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.