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- This article is about the term, "slam dunk". For the manga series, see Slam Dunk (manga).
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A slam dunk (or simply a dunk) is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball through the basket with one or both of his hands, then grabs the rim shortly after the ball passes through the hoop. This is a standard field goal worth two points. The slam dunk is one of the highest percentage field goals one can attempt in basketball as well as one of the most crowd-pleasing plays.
There are many ways to accomplish this and players are constantly coming up with new dunks or modifying existing ones. Slam dunk contests are quite popular, and perhaps the most popular contest is the NBA Slam Dunk Contest held during the annual NBA All-Star Weekend.
The term "slam dunk" was first coined by former L.A. Lakers announcer Chick Hearn .
Dunking was banned in the NCAA from 1967 to 1976. Many have attributed this to the dominance of the then-college phenom Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then called Lew Alcindor) upon his entry into the NCAA. Subsequently, the no-dunking rule is sometimes referred to as the "Lew Alcindor Rule".[1]
Other terms for slam dunk include "jam", "slam-a-lama-ding-dong", "boom shaka laka", "bang", "cram", "stuff", and "throw-down".
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Contents
- 1 Notable NBA dunkers
- 2 Slam Dunk Trivia
- 3 Use of "slam dunk" off the court
- 4 See also
- 5 External links
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Notable NBA dunkers
Guards
- Tracy McGrady - Houston Rockets
- Gilbert Arenas - Washington Wizards
- Dee Brown - Retired
- Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers
- Vince Carter – New Jersey Nets
- Ricky Davis – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Clyde Drexler - Retired
- Steve Francis – New York Knicks
- Gerald Green - Boston Celtics
- Darrell Griffith - Retired
- Fred Jones – Indiana Pacers
- Michael Jordan - Retired
- Harold Miner - Retired
- Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics
- Jason Richardson – Golden State Warriors
- Isaiah Rider - Retired
- Nate Robinson - New York Knicks
- Byron Scott – Retired
- J.R. Smith - Denver Nuggets
- Kenny Smith - Retired
- David Thompson – Retired
- Dwyane Wade - Miami Heat
- Spud Webb - Retired
Forwards
- Chris Andersen - Banned
- Charles Barkley - Retired
- Elgin Baylor - Retired
- Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors
- Tom Chambers - Retired
- Julius Erving - Retired
- Kevin Garnett – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Connie Hawkins – Retired
- Grant Hill – Orlando Magic
- Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic
- Andre Iguodala – Philadelphia 76ers
- LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers
- Richard Jefferson – New Jersey Nets
- Gus Johnson – Deceased
- Larry Johnson - Retired
- Shawn Kemp - Retired
- Shawn Marion - Phoenix Suns
- Kenyon Martin – Denver Nuggets
- Desmond Mason – New Orleans Hornets
- Tracy McGrady – Houston Rockets
- Darius Miles – Portland Trailblazers
- Larry Nance - Retired
- Scottie Pippen - Retired
- Josh Smith – Atlanta Hawks
- Jerry Stackhouse - Dallas Mavericks
- Amare Stoudemire - Phoenix Suns
- Stromile Swift - Memphis Grizzlies
- Charlie Villanueva - Milwaukee Bucks
- Kenny Walker - Retired
- Gerald Wallace - Charlotte Bobcats
- Rasheed Wallace - Detroit Pistons
- Chris Wilcox - Seattle SuperSonics
- Dominique Wilkins - Retired
- James Worthy - Retired
Centers
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Retired
- Wilt Chamberlain - Deceased
- Darryl Dawkins - Retired
- Patrick Ewing - Retired
- DJ Mbenga - Dallas Mavericks
- Alonzo Mourning – Miami Heat
- Jermaine O'Neal - Indiana Pacers
- Shaquille O'Neal – Miami Heat
- Hakeem Olajuwon - Retired
- David Robinson - Retired
- Ben Wallace - Chicago Bulls
- Yao Ming - Houston Rockets
Slam Dunk Trivia
Michael Wilson, a former Harlem Globetrotter and University of Memphis basketball player, holds the world record for the highest dunk. On April 1, 2000, Wilson dunked a basketball on a goal set at 12 feet from the floor. However, Wilt Chamberlain was also known to have performed the feat on an experimental basket set up by Phog Allen at the University of Kansas in the 1950s (The Leaping Legends of Basketball, The Los Angeles Times; Feb 12, 1989; Scott Ostler). Chamberlain, unlike Wilson, did not have the advantage of being given an alley oop.
Candace Parker in 2006 became the first reported woman to dunk in a women's NCAA tournament game. Lisa Leslie was the first woman to dunk in a WNBA game. Other well-known female dunkers include Cheryl Miller, Charlotte Smith and Michelle Snow (who did this in the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game).
During the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Vince Carter performed one of the most memorable dunks in history when he flew over 7-foot-2 (2.18 m) French center Frédéric Weis. Carter took off from just inside the foul line, spread his legs in midair, and slightly scraped Weis's head before slamming the ball home. The French media dubbed it "le dunk de la mort"—the dunk of death. [2]
Use of "slam dunk" off the court
The phrase "slam dunk" is often used outside of basketball, usually to signify success or something that is easily accomplished or that has a high probability of success. For example, one could say "this case is a slam dunk," or "that was a slam-dunk performance," though this is seen by many as being colloquial.
See also
- NBA Slam Dunk Contest
- Slam Dunk Contest
External links
- NBA
- NDAA
- Slam dunk history, videos & pictures
- Greatest Slam Dunks in competitive play
- Uncontested Greatest Slam Dunks
Categories: Wikipedia articles needing style editing | Basketball terminology
