Over the last 30+ years the debate has been a hot one of who is the best dunker of all time. I have always been on the side of Michael Jordan but as I was looking at old NBA Games and Dunk Contests, I remembered the 1986 NBA Dunk Contest that featured a 5'7 player named Spud Webb. He was arguably the best leaper in the history of the sport. Spud Webb spent most of his years playing guard for the Atlanta Hawks and focused on being a strong defender and a great ball handler. But he shocked the world in 1986.
Before we take a look at that footage, I want to show my 3 favorite dunks by the G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan.
The most famous Jordan dunk was his free throw line leap in which his "Airness" appears to fly through the air.
This was one of the coolest things I ever witnessed as a kid. I had the exact same shoes, posters all over my room and locker in grade school, and he was my hero. The free throw line dunk is considered by most the best dunk of all time. But it is not my favorite Dunk Contest one from Jordan. This next one is.
The Kiss The Rim Dunk is my absolute favorite. He just destroyed the rim and I could watch this over and over. Kobe Bryant would try and mimic this as he fashioned every aspect of his game after his hero, MJ.
Jordan also had some phenomenal dunks in games. If you go back and watch any highlights of the Chicago Bulls from the late 80's, you would see Jordan dunking on everyone in the damn league. But there was one person in the NBA that said Jordan would never get him. Former 7 foot tall, shot blocking center from Africa, Dikembe Mutombo promised Jordan that he would never get dunked on. Unfortunately for Mutombo, Jordan posterized him too!
Ouch Dikembe! That had to hurt!
Now on to the 5'7 Spud Webb. The 1986 NBA Dunk Contest was missing Michael Jordan due to his broken leg. But it was not missing plenty of fireworks. Spud Webb put on an incredible show for us and he was simply sensational. The amount of air between Spud's shoes and the basketball court is amazing. Take a look at this.
Wow! There is not much cooler video in the NBA than that. Although I still think MJ is the best dunker ever, Spud Webb deserves a lot of praise and respect for his throw downs. I would love to hear what you think. Tomorrow I will compare Vince Carter and Dominique Wilkins. I wish I could do a Lebron vs Kobe one but Lebron is too chicken to ever participate in an NBA Dunk Contest. What a shame. None the less, CHEERS to MJ and Spud!
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