Amanda Knapp
The slam dunk is a basketball shot where a player jumps through the air, controls the ball above the rim, and scores by forcing it down through the basket with one or both hands. The phrase slam dunk was coined by Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn, though the shot itself has been around for much longer. Joe Fortenberry, playing for the McPherson Globe Refiners, dunked the ball in 1936 in Madison Square Garden, and the feat was immortalized by Pulitzer Prize-winning sportswriter Arthur Daley.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year dunking was banned in the NCAA and high school sports | 1967 |
| Year dunking was allowed in the NCAA and high school sports | 1976 |
| Player attributed to the ban on dunking | Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) |
| Other reasons for the ban on dunking | Racial motivations |
| Inventor of the breakaway rim | Arthur Ehrat |
| First player to dunk the ball | Joe Fortenberry |
| Year the first dunk happened | 1936 |
| Team for which the first player to dunk played | McPherson Globe Refiners |
| First woman to slam dunk | Georgeann Wells |
| Year the first woman dunk happened | 1984 |
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The first dunk
The first-ever dunk in basketball history was performed by Joe Fortenberry, who played for the McPherson Globe Refiners. In 1936, Fortenberry dunked the ball in Madison Square Garden, an act immortalized by Pulitzer Prize-winning sports journalist Arthur Daley in an article for The New York Times. In the article, Daley described how Fortenberry and his teammate, Willard Schmidt, leaped up and "pitched the ball downward into the hoop, much like a cafeteria customer dunking a roll in coffee."
Before the 1930s, dunking was not a common practice in basketball. In fact, the term "slam dunk" did not come into use until later, when Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn coined the phrase. Prior to this, dunk shots were simply known as "dunk shots." Despite this, the dunk began to gain popularity in the 1940s, with 7-foot center and Olympic gold medalist Bob Kurland regularly dunking during games.
During the 1960s and early 1970s, several players, including all-star power forward Gus Johnson of the Baltimore Bullets, Luke Jackson, and Charlie Hentz of the ABA, gained notoriety for shattering backboards with their powerful dunks. This led to the implementation of rules to prevent injuries, such as breakaway rims, and reinforced backboards.
In 1976, Arthur Erhat patented a "rim that had give but immediately returned to its original position," making dunking safer and reducing the risk of shattering backboards. The same year, the first NBA Slam Dunk Contest was held during the halftime of the ABA All-Star Game, showcasing the athletic abilities of players and the excitement of dunking.
While men have dominated the sport, it's worth noting that in 1984, Georgeann Wells made history as the first woman to slam dunk in a women's college game while playing for West Virginia University.
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The term 'slam dunk'
The term "slam dunk" refers to a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball, and scores by pushing it downward through the basket with one or both hands. This shot was originally known as a "dunk shot" until the term "slam dunk" was coined by Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn. The "slam dunk" is often a crowd-pleaser and is usually the highest-percentage shot. Due to its popularity, it is frequently showcased in slam dunk contests during the NBA All-Star Weekend, with the first contest of this kind taking place in 1976.
The "slam dunk" has become an iconic move in basketball, with players like Michael Jordan, nicknamed "Air Jordan," popularizing certain variations. One of the simplest types of dunks is the "tomahawk," which can be performed with one or two hands and involves a wind-up motion, resembling a blow with a tomahawk. The "self-pass off the backboard, double pump" is another variation, where a player passes the ball off the backboard, catches it in the air, and executes a double-pump dunk.
The "slam dunk" has also evolved beyond the basketball court and is now used as a metaphor in everyday language. For example, someone might say that a particular piece of video evidence is "not a slam dunk," implying that it does not definitively prove something. In sports commentary, a "slam dunk" might refer to a player's impressive performance or a team's decisive victory.
The popularity of the "slam dunk" has also led to rule changes and technological advancements in basketball. Due to the force of some dunks, there have been instances of players shattering backboards. This resulted in the introduction of the breakaway rim in the NBA in 1981 and strengthened goal standards to prevent such occurrences.
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Dunking contests
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest, officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk, is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was first held in 1976 during the halftime of the American Basketball Association (ABA) All-Star Game in Denver. The winner of the inaugural contest was Julius Erving of the New York Nets. As a result of the ABA-NBA merger later that year, the contest moved to the NBA for the 1976-77 season.
The contest was conceived as a gimmick to attract viewers and showcase the league's dunkers. Competitors typically have to perform a dunk from a set distance, with variations and increasing levels of complexity being introduced over time. The first contest in 1976 featured a format where competitors had to attempt five dunks in a row under two minutes, with the clock stopping after each shot to allow the player to plan their next attempt.
Over the years, the contest has adopted several formats, including the use of fan voting via text messaging to determine the winner of the final round until 2014. The current champion of the Slam Dunk Contest is Mac McClung of the Orlando Magic.
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has featured some memorable performances over the years. In the 2011 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, JaVale McGee set the world record for the most basketball dunks in a single jump with three. Zach LaVine also impressed in the 2016 contest, dunking from the free-throw line on three occasions with different styles.
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Dunking bans
Dunking, or slam dunking, is a type of basketball shot where a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one or both hands. It is a high-percentage shot and a crowd-pleaser. The term "slam dunk" was coined by former Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn.
Dunking was banned in the NCAA and high school sports from 1967 to 1976. This ban has been attributed to the dominance of college basketball player Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and the rule is sometimes referred to as the "Lew Alcindor rule." The ban may also have been due to racial motivations, as most prominent college basketball dunkers at the time were African-American. Additionally, concerns about the safety of dunking led to the ban. Backboards were repeatedly shattered by powerful dunks, and the introduction of new rules and technologies was needed to improve safety and prevent injuries.
The ban was enacted shortly after the 1966 NCAA University Division basketball championship game, where a Texas Western team with an all-black starting lineup defeated an all-white Kentucky team. This game highlighted the racial dynamics of the time and may have influenced the perception of dunking as a predominantly African-American style of play.
During the ban, Arthur Ehrat invented the breakaway rim with a spring, significantly reducing the risk of backboard shattering and making dunking safer. This invention contributed to the eventual return of dunking in college basketball. The rule change allowing dunking again was likely influenced by multiple factors, including the recognition of dunking as an exciting and effective scoring move, as well as the development of safer equipment and rules to mitigate the risks associated with the powerful move.
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Women's college game
The first woman to dunk in a college basketball game was West Virginia center Georgeann Wells on December 21, 1984. Wells threw down a right-handed jam to take an 85-50 lead with just under 12 minutes to go in a game against the University of Charleston.
Since Wells' pioneering dunk, a select few women have followed in her footsteps and dunked during a college basketball game. Charlotte Smith became the second woman to dunk during a college basketball game in 1994, followed by Michelle Snow in 2000, who became the second woman to dunk twice in one season. Candace Parker was the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game, and the first to dunk twice in a tournament game. Stanford's Fran Belibi became the eighth woman in DI women's basketball history to dunk during a game on December 13, 2020. Other women who have dunked during college basketball games include Brittney Griner, who holds the record for the most career dunks in women's college basketball history with 18 slams, and Ashlyn Watkins, who has dunked three times during her college career at South Carolina.
While some celebrate these women's athletic achievements, not everyone is supportive of women dunking in college basketball games. Some argue that it is a bad business and marketing strategy for the women's game to resemble the men's game, and that the focus on women's dunks is potentially damaging to the sport.
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Frequently asked questions
Dunking in basketball, or performing a "slam dunk", was popularised by Joe Fortenberry, who played for the McPherson Globe Refiners and first dunked the ball in 1936 in Madison Square Garden.
A slam dunk is a basketball shot where a player jumps through the air and forces the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim.
The term "slam dunk" was coined by Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn. Before this, slam dunks were known as "dunk shots".
Slam dunks gained popularity in the 1940s, with 7-foot center and Olympic gold medalist Bob Kurland regularly dunking during games.
Georgeann Wells, a 6'7" junior playing for West Virginia University, was the first woman to slam dunk a ball in a women's college game on December 21, 1984.
