Slam dunk
Encyclopedia
A slam dunk is a type of basketball
shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal
attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was coined by Los Angeles Lakers
announcer Chick Hearn
. Prior to that, it was known as a dunk shot.
The slam dunk is one of the highest percentage shots one can attempt in basketball as well as one of the most crowd-pleasing plays. Slam dunks are also performed as entertainment outside of the game, especially during slam dunk contests
. Perhaps the most popular such contest is the NBA Slam Dunk Contest held during the annual NBA All-Star Weekend
. The first slam dunk contest was held during an American Basketball Association
All Star Game.
Dunking was banned in the NCAA from 1967 to 1976. Many have attributed this to the dominance of the then-college phenomenon Lew Alcindor
(now called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) upon his entry into the NCAA. Subsequently, the no-dunking rule is sometimes referred to as the "Lew Alcindor rule."
The phrase "slam dunk" has since entered popular usage, meaning a "sure thing" – an action with a guaranteed outcome.
was a 7-foot center and the first player to regularly dunk during games in the 1940s and 50's. Wilt Chamberlain
was known to have dunked on an experimental 12-foot basket set up by Phog Allen
at the University of Kansas
in the 1950s. Michael Wilson
, a former Harlem Globetrotter
and University of Memphis
basketball player, matched this feat on April 1, 2000 albeit with an alley-oop. Dwight Howard
dunked on a 12 ft basket in the 2009 NBA dunk contest also off an alley-oop.
Jim Pollard, Wilt Chamberlain
, Julius Erving
, Michael Jordan
, Scottie Pippen
, Stromile Swift
, Grant Hill
, Darrell Griffith, Korleone Young
, Edgar Jones
, James White
, Jason Richardson
, Mike Conley, Sr., Serge Ibaka
, Dwight Howard
, Samuel Dalembert
, Brent Barry
, Gerald Wallace
and Josh Smith
have each completed a dunk from the free-throw line
, which is 15 feet from the basket. Unlike the others, Wilt Chamberlain did not require a full running start, but instead began his movement from inside the top half of the free throw circle.
Several notable and remarkable dunks have been performed by players at the annual NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Spud Webb
at 5'7" (1.70 m) defeated 6'8" (2.03m) Dominique Wilkins
in the 1986 contest. Michael Jordan
popularized a dunk referred to by some fans as "kiss the rim". This dunk was so called because Jordan's body was not perpendicular to the ground while performing the dunk. TNT viewers rated it "the best dunk of all time" over Vince Carter's between-the-legs slam.
Vince Carter
dunked while leaping over 7-foot-2 (2.18 m) French center Frédéric Weis
in the 2000 Summer Olympics
. The French media dubbed it "le dunk de la mort" — "the dunk of death." Carter is also known for introducing the "Honey Dip" or the "cookie jar" dunk in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, where Carter demonstrated it hooking his forearm/elbow into the rim after dunking and hanging. The "Honey Dip" at the time was unnamed. Carter used it as his speciality dunks along with his Reverse 360 Windmill dunk and between-the-legs dunk. When performed much of the audience was speechless, including the judges, because none had seen these types of amazing dunks before (although, Carter's 360 Windmill dunk is closely reminiscent of Kenny Walker's winning "Tomahawk" dunk in 1989).
In the 2008 Sprite Rising Star's Slam Dunk Contest Dwight Howard
performed the "Superman" dunk. He donned a superman outfit as Orlando Magic
guard Jameer Nelson
tied a cape around his shoulders. Nelson alley-ooped the basketball
as Howard jumped from just inside the foul line, caught the ball, and threw it through the rim. This dunk is considered controversial, as his hand was not over as well as on a vertical plane to the rim. Some insist that it should in fact be considered a dunk because the ball was thrust downward into the basket, meeting the basic definition of the dunk. During the following year's dunk contest, Howard had the arena bring a separate basket onto the court that was reported to be 12 feet high. Howard, after going into a classic telephone booth near the stands and coming out with his cape, used a pass from Nelson to easily dunk two-handed. While this was not performed for record-setting purposes, the dunk received a perfect score and a warm response from the crowd, in part because of its theatrics. Also in this contest, 5'9" guard Nate Robinson wore a green New York Knicks
jersey and green sneakers to represent Kryptonite
, counteracting Howard's Superman
theme. He used a green "Kryptonite" ball, and jumped over the 6'11" Howard while dunking. This dunk essentially won the competition for Robinson, who was voted the winner by the NBA fans. Robinson then thanked Howard for gracefully allowing him to dunk on him, asking the crowd to also give Howard a round of applause.
The only player that has proven the ability to perform a 720 degree dunk (that is, two full turns in the air) is Taurian Fontenette
also known as Air Up There during a Streetball
game.
In the past, it has been possible for players to dunk a basketball and pull the rim down so hard that the glass backboard shatters, either around the rim itself or, at times, shattering the entire backboard, or the entire goal standard fails. Reinforced backboards and rims have minimized this at the college and professional levels, but it still happens at lower levels. All-star power forward Gus Johnson
of the Baltimore Bullets was the first of the famous backboard breakers in the NBA, shattering three during his career in the 1960s and early 1970s. Darryl Dawkins
of the Philadelphia 76ers was also notorious for two glass-shattering dunks in 1979 resulting in the league threatening to fine him and eventually installing breakaway rim
s. Twice in his rookie season during games, center Shaquille O'Neal
dunked so hard that he broke the hydraulic support of one goal standard (against the Phoenix Suns
) and broke the welds holding up another goal standard, causing the basket to break off and fall to the floor (against the New Jersey Nets
), although in neither case did the glass break. This resulted in reinforced backboard supports as well. During that same season, New Jersey's Chris Morris
shattered a backboard in a game against the Chicago Bulls
(the most recent shattered-backboard incident in the NBA to date). The NBA has made shattering the backboard a technical foul. This has assisted in deterring this action, as it can cost the team points.
In the ABA, Charlie Hentz
broke two backboards in the same game on November 6, 1970 resulting in the game being called. In the NCAA, Darvin Ham
shattered a backboard while playing for Texas Tech
in a tournament
game against the University of North Carolina
in 1996.
The Premier Basketball League
has had two slam-dunks that have resulted in broken backboards. Both came consecutively in the 2008 and 2009 PBL Finals, and both were achieved by Sammy Monroe of the Rochester Razorsharks
.
Dunking is much less common in women's basketball
than in men's play. Georgeann Wells
, as a 6'7" junior playing for West Virginia University
became the first woman to score a slam dunk in women's collegiate play, in a game against the University of Charleston
on December 21, 1984.
In professional WNBA play, a total of six dunks have been scored. Lisa Leslie
of the Los Angeles Sparks
was the first to score a dunk, on July 30, 2002 against the Miami Sol
. Leslie also scored the second dunk in WNBA history on July 9, 2005. Other professional women's players who have scored dunks are Michelle Snow
, Candace Parker
(twice), and Sylvia Fowles
.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was coined by Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
announcer Chick Hearn
Chick Hearn
Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn was an American sportscaster. Known primarily as the long-time play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, the legendary Hearn is remembered for his rapid fire, staccato broadcasting style, inventing colorful phrases such...
. Prior to that, it was known as a dunk shot.
The slam dunk is one of the highest percentage shots one can attempt in basketball as well as one of the most crowd-pleasing plays. Slam dunks are also performed as entertainment outside of the game, especially during slam dunk contests
Slam Dunk Contest
The Slam Dunk Contest is an annual National Basketball Association competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was inaugurated by the American Basketball Association at its All-Star Game in 1976 in Denver, the same year the slam dunk was legalized in the NCAA...
. Perhaps the most popular such contest is the NBA Slam Dunk Contest held during the annual NBA All-Star Weekend
NBA All-Star Weekend
The National Basketball Association holds an All-Star Weekend every February, the festival has a variety of basketball-related events, exhibitions, and performances culminating in the NBA All-Star Game held on Sunday night.-The All-Star Game:...
. The first slam dunk contest was held during an American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
All Star Game.
Dunking was banned in the NCAA from 1967 to 1976. Many have attributed this to the dominance of the then-college phenomenon Lew Alcindor
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
(now called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) upon his entry into the NCAA. Subsequently, the no-dunking rule is sometimes referred to as the "Lew Alcindor rule."
The phrase "slam dunk" has since entered popular usage, meaning a "sure thing" – an action with a guaranteed outcome.
Notable dunks
Olympic Gold Medalist Bob KurlandBob Kurland
Robert Albert "Bob" Kurland was a basketball center, who played for Henry Iba's Oklahoma A & M Aggies basketball team...
was a 7-foot center and the first player to regularly dunk during games in the 1940s and 50's. Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
was known to have dunked on an experimental 12-foot basket set up by Phog Allen
Phog Allen
Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen was an American basketball and baseball player, coach of American football, basketball, and baseball, college athletics administrator, and osteopathic physician...
at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in the 1950s. Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson (basketball)
Michael Wilson is a former player of the Harlem Globetrotters and the University of Memphis, also known as 'Wild Thing'.Wilson, 6'5, holds the world record for the highest dunk. On April 1, 2000, Wilson dunked a basketball on a goal set at 3.65m from the floor...
, a former Harlem Globetrotter
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
and University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
basketball player, matched this feat on April 1, 2000 albeit with an alley-oop. Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard
Dwight David Howard is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association . Howard, who usually plays center but can also play power forward, had an outstanding high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy...
dunked on a 12 ft basket in the 2009 NBA dunk contest also off an alley-oop.
Jim Pollard, Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
, Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
, Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen
Scottie Maurice Pippen is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association . He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in six NBA Championships and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins...
, Stromile Swift
Stromile Swift
Stromile Swift is a former American professional basketball player. At 6'10" and 220 lbs, he played the power forward and center positions.- College and early NBA career :...
, Grant Hill
Grant Hill
Grant Hill is the name of:* Grant Hill, American basketball player* Grant Hill , Canadian politician* Grant Hill, San Diego, California, an urban neighboorhood in central San Diego...
, Darrell Griffith, Korleone Young
Korleone Young
Suntino Korleone Young is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for Bnei HaSharon, an Israeli club...
, Edgar Jones
Edgar Jones (basketball)
Edgar Jones is a retired American professional basketball player who had a career the NBA from 1980 to 1986....
, James White
James White (basketball)
James William White IV is an American professional basketball player. He is a 6'7", 200 lb. guard/forward. He earned the nickname 'Flight 75' due to his leaping ability....
, Jason Richardson
Jason Richardson
Jason Anthoney "J-Rich" Richardson is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association.A 6'6", 225 lb...
, Mike Conley, Sr., Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka
Serge Jonas Ibaka Ngobila , commonly referred to as Serge Ibaka, is a professional Spanish basketball player of Congolese origin, playing the power forward position for Real Madrid of the Liga ACB. He is also under contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA, but is playing in Spain because...
, Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard
Dwight David Howard is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association . Howard, who usually plays center but can also play power forward, had an outstanding high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy...
, Samuel Dalembert
Samuel Dalembert
Samuel Davis Dalembert is a Haitian Canadian professional basketball player who most recently played center for the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Dalembert began playing in Montreal, Quebec and played college basketball at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, United States...
, Brent Barry
Brent Barry
Brent Robert Barry is an American former professional basketball player. The , shooting guard was selected out of Oregon State University by the Denver Nuggets with the 15th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, but was traded shortly after to the Los Angeles Clippers.Barry played professionally...
, Gerald Wallace
Gerald Wallace
Gerald Jermaine Wallace is an American professional basketball forward for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA.- High school :Wallace attended Childersburg High School in Childersburg, Alabama, where he had a very successful career...
and Josh Smith
Josh Smith
Josh Smith is an American professional basketball player with the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. Josh is one of five kids born to Paulette and Pete Smith. His siblings are Walter, Phebe, Kasola and Shanti. His popular nickname is "J-Smoove".Smith attended John McEachern High School. For his senior...
have each completed a dunk from the free-throw line
Free throw line dunk
A free throw line dunk occurs when a player dunks jumps from the free throw line and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. On an NBA court, the free throw line is 15 feet from the basket....
, which is 15 feet from the basket. Unlike the others, Wilt Chamberlain did not require a full running start, but instead began his movement from inside the top half of the free throw circle.
Several notable and remarkable dunks have been performed by players at the annual NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Spud Webb
Spud Webb
Anthony Jerome Webb , also known as Spud Webb, is a retired American NBA professional basketball point guard most notable for winning a slam dunk contest despite being one of the shortest NBA players in the history of the league...
at 5'7" (1.70 m) defeated 6'8" (2.03m) Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins
Jacques Dominique Wilkins is a retired American professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA...
in the 1986 contest. Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
popularized a dunk referred to by some fans as "kiss the rim". This dunk was so called because Jordan's body was not perpendicular to the ground while performing the dunk. TNT viewers rated it "the best dunk of all time" over Vince Carter's between-the-legs slam.
Vince Carter
Vince Carter
Vincent Lamar "Vince" Carter is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns. He is a shooting guard who can also play small forward....
dunked while leaping over 7-foot-2 (2.18 m) French center Frédéric Weis
Frédéric Weis
Frédéric Weis is a retired French professional basketball player.-Pro career:Weis has played for Unicaja Málaga and Iurbentia Bilbao of the Spanish ACB League, PAOK Thessaloniki in the Greek League, and Limoges in the French League...
in the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. The French media dubbed it "le dunk de la mort" — "the dunk of death." Carter is also known for introducing the "Honey Dip" or the "cookie jar" dunk in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, where Carter demonstrated it hooking his forearm/elbow into the rim after dunking and hanging. The "Honey Dip" at the time was unnamed. Carter used it as his speciality dunks along with his Reverse 360 Windmill dunk and between-the-legs dunk. When performed much of the audience was speechless, including the judges, because none had seen these types of amazing dunks before (although, Carter's 360 Windmill dunk is closely reminiscent of Kenny Walker's winning "Tomahawk" dunk in 1989).
In the 2008 Sprite Rising Star's Slam Dunk Contest Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard
Dwight David Howard is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association . Howard, who usually plays center but can also play power forward, had an outstanding high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy...
performed the "Superman" dunk. He donned a superman outfit as Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
guard Jameer Nelson
Jameer Nelson
Jameer Nelson is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the NBA. He played college basketball at Saint Joseph's University and was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets but was traded to the Orlando Magic, where he has played for his...
tied a cape around his shoulders. Nelson alley-ooped the basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
as Howard jumped from just inside the foul line, caught the ball, and threw it through the rim. This dunk is considered controversial, as his hand was not over as well as on a vertical plane to the rim. Some insist that it should in fact be considered a dunk because the ball was thrust downward into the basket, meeting the basic definition of the dunk. During the following year's dunk contest, Howard had the arena bring a separate basket onto the court that was reported to be 12 feet high. Howard, after going into a classic telephone booth near the stands and coming out with his cape, used a pass from Nelson to easily dunk two-handed. While this was not performed for record-setting purposes, the dunk received a perfect score and a warm response from the crowd, in part because of its theatrics. Also in this contest, 5'9" guard Nate Robinson wore a green New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
jersey and green sneakers to represent Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
, counteracting Howard's Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
theme. He used a green "Kryptonite" ball, and jumped over the 6'11" Howard while dunking. This dunk essentially won the competition for Robinson, who was voted the winner by the NBA fans. Robinson then thanked Howard for gracefully allowing him to dunk on him, asking the crowd to also give Howard a round of applause.
The only player that has proven the ability to perform a 720 degree dunk (that is, two full turns in the air) is Taurian Fontenette
Taurian Fontenette
Taurian J. Fontenette , also known as "Air Up There" and "Mr. 720", is a streetball player from Hitchcock, Texas. He is a former player on the AND1 Mixtape and Ball4Real Tours. Fontenette recently signed a contract to play for the Dallas Generals of the American Basketball Association. He is 6'2"...
also known as Air Up There during a Streetball
Streetball
Streetball or street basketball is a variation of the sport of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less by way of formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules...
game.
In the past, it has been possible for players to dunk a basketball and pull the rim down so hard that the glass backboard shatters, either around the rim itself or, at times, shattering the entire backboard, or the entire goal standard fails. Reinforced backboards and rims have minimized this at the college and professional levels, but it still happens at lower levels. All-star power forward Gus Johnson
Gus Johnson (basketball)
Gus Johnson was a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Bullets, and a final season split between the Phoenix Suns and the Indiana Pacers of the ABA...
of the Baltimore Bullets was the first of the famous backboard breakers in the NBA, shattering three during his career in the 1960s and early 1970s. Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career...
of the Philadelphia 76ers was also notorious for two glass-shattering dunks in 1979 resulting in the league threatening to fine him and eventually installing breakaway rim
Breakaway rim
A breakaway rim is a basketball hoop that can bend slightly when a player dunks a basketball, and then instantly snap back into a horizontal position when the player releases it. It allows players to dunk the ball without shattering the backboard, and it reduces the possibility of wrist injuries...
s. Twice in his rookie season during games, center Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
dunked so hard that he broke the hydraulic support of one goal standard (against the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
) and broke the welds holding up another goal standard, causing the basket to break off and fall to the floor (against the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
), although in neither case did the glass break. This resulted in reinforced backboard supports as well. During that same season, New Jersey's Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Chris Morris may refer to:* Chris Morris , gay rights activist* Chris Morris , American football player for the Detroit Lions...
shattered a backboard in a game against the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
(the most recent shattered-backboard incident in the NBA to date). The NBA has made shattering the backboard a technical foul. This has assisted in deterring this action, as it can cost the team points.
In the ABA, Charlie Hentz
Charlie Hentz
Charles Hentz is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'5" forward from Arkansas AM&N College, Hentz was signed by the Pittsburgh Condors of the American Basketball Association in Fall 1970. He appeared in 57 games during the 1970-71 ABA season, averaging 6.0 points per game and 6.8...
broke two backboards in the same game on November 6, 1970 resulting in the game being called. In the NCAA, Darvin Ham
Darvin Ham
Darvin Ham is an American former professional basketball player. He played eight seasons in the NBA from 1996 to 2005 and later for the Philippine Basketball Association and NBA Development League until 2008.- Basketball career :...
shattered a backboard while playing for Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball
The Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball team represents Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition The team is currently coached by Billy Gillispie. Prior to Gillispie being named coach, the coach was Pat Knight who succeeded his father, Hall of Famer Bob...
in a tournament
1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1996, and ended with the championship game on April 1 at Continental Airlines Arena in...
game against the University of North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
in 1996.
The Premier Basketball League
Premier Basketball League
The Premier Basketball League, often abbreviated to the PBL, is a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States that began play in January 2008. The league had ten teams for the 2008 season and thirteen teams for the 2009 season. Nine teams from Canada and the United States...
has had two slam-dunks that have resulted in broken backboards. Both came consecutively in the 2008 and 2009 PBL Finals, and both were achieved by Sammy Monroe of the Rochester Razorsharks
Rochester Razorsharks
The Rochester Razorsharks are a professional basketball team based in Rochester, New York. They are members of the Premier Basketball League and play their home games at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester. The Razorsharks were founded in 2005 as a member of the American Basketball...
.
Dunking in women's play
Women's basketball
Women's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast , in large part via women's colleges...
than in men's play. Georgeann Wells
Georgeann Wells
Georgeann Wells was an All-American basketball player at West Virginia University who became the first woman to register a dunk in an official NCAA intercollegiate basketball game. She did it with a regulation-size ball...
, as a 6'7" junior playing for West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
became the first woman to score a slam dunk in women's collegiate play, in a game against the University of Charleston
University of Charleston
The University of Charleston is a private university in Charleston, West Virginia, United States of over 1,300 students.-History:The school was founded in 1888 as the Barboursville Seminary of the Southern Methodist Church...
on December 21, 1984.
In professional WNBA play, a total of six dunks have been scored. Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...
of the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
was the first to score a dunk, on July 30, 2002 against the Miami Sol
Miami Sol
The Miami Sol was a women's basketball team which joined the Women's National Basketball Association in 2000. They played their games at American Airlines Arena. The team folded after the 2002 season because of financial problems...
. Leslie also scored the second dunk in WNBA history on July 9, 2005. Other professional women's players who have scored dunks are Michelle Snow
Michelle Snow
Donnette Jé-Michelle Snow is an American professional basketball player from the WNBA. She currently plays the center position for the Chicago Sky.-High school years:...
, Candace Parker
Candace Parker
Candace Nicole Parker is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and is also the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008...
(twice), and Sylvia Fowles
Sylvia Fowles
Sylvia Shaqueria Fowles is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA. She is 6 ft 6 in tall and weighs 200 lbs .-Personal:...
.