Editing Slam dunk (section)

==History==

[[Joe Fortenberry]], playing for the McPherson Globe Refiners, dunked the ball in 1936 in [[Madison Square Garden]]. The feat was immortalized by [[Arthur Daley (sportswriter)|Arthur Daley]], [[Pulitzer Prize]] winning sports writer for ''[[The New York Times]]'' in an article in March 1936. He wrote that Joe Fortenberry and his teammate, [[Willard Schmidt (basketball)|Willard Schmidt]], instead of shooting up for a layup, leaped up and "pitch[ed] the ball downward into the hoop, much like a cafeteria customer dunking a roll in coffee".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/15/the-first-dunk-in-basketball |title=The First Dunk in Basketball |last=Demirel |first=Evin |date=2014-02-15 |website=[[The Daily Beast]] |language=en |access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref>

During the 1940s, 7-foot center and Olympic gold medalist [[Bob Kurland]] was dunking regularly during games.<ref name="sportingnews1996">{{Citation|last=Jackie |first=Krentzman |title=Jam boree - basketball's dunk shot; includes related articles |work=[[The Sporting News]] |date=12 February 1996 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n7_v220/ai_17932941 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629234506/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n7_v220/ai_17932941 |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 June 2012}}</ref> Yet defenders viewed the execution of a slam dunk as a personal affront that deserved retribution; thus defenders often intimidated offensive players and thwarted the move. Kurland's rival big man [[George Mikan]] noted "We used to dunk in pregame practice, not in the game." [[Satch Sanders]], a career Boston Celtic from 1960 to 1973, said: "in the old days, [defenders] would run under you when you were in the air ... trying to take people out of games so they couldn't play. It was an unwritten rule."<ref>''NBA Jam Session: A Photo Salute to the NBA Dunk''. History. Page 22. 1993, NBA Publishing.</ref> 

Still, by the 1950s and early 1960s some of the NBA's tallest and strongest [[Center (basketball)|centers]] such as [[Bill Russell]] and [[Wilt Chamberlain]] had incorporated the move into their offensive arsenal.  Slightly smaller players at [[Basketball positions|forward]] and guard then began to dunk, helping to popularize the move, like [[Johnny Green (basketball)|"Jumping" Johnny Green]], [[Gus Johnson (basketball)|Gus Johnson]],  [[Elgin Baylor]], and [[Connie Hawkins]] in the 1960s; and [[David Thompson (basketball)|David Thompson]] and [[Julius Erving]] in the 1970s. This transformed dunking into the standard fare it is today. 
===1956 rule changes===

[[File:Wilt Chamberlain 1967.jpeg|thumb|165px|Wilt Chamberlain in 1967.]]
In the 1950s, [[Jim Pollard]]<ref name="encyc">{{cite book |title=The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia |publisher=Villard Books |year=1994 |isbn=0-679-43293-0 |page=49}}</ref> and [[Wilt Chamberlain]]<ref name="ostler">{{cite news |last=Ostler |first=Scott |date=12 February 1989 |title=The Leaping Legends of Basketball |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> had both dunked from the free throw line—15 feet from the basket. Chamberlain was able to dunk from the free-throw line without a running start, beginning his forward movement from within the top half of the free-throw circle.<ref name="ostler" /> This was the catalyst for the 1956 NCAA rule change which requires that a shooter maintain both feet behind the line during a free-throw attempt.<ref name="toledo">{{citation |title=That Stilt, Wilt, Responsible For 2 Rule Changes; Kansas' Chamberlain Even Dunked His Foul Shots |date=28 November 1956 |newspaper=[[Toledo Blade]]}}</ref> An inbounds pass over the backboard was also banned because of Chamberlain.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Aram Goudsouzian |year=2005 |title="Can Basketball Survive Chamberlain" |url=https://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/2005autumn_goudsouzian.pdf |journal=Kansas History}}</ref> Offensive goaltending, also called basket interference, was introduced as a rule in 1956 after [[Bill Russell]] had exploited it at [[1955–56 San Francisco Dons men's basketball team|San Francisco]] and Chamberlain was soon to enter college play.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8cpud1roWz4C|page=193|title=Spanning the Game|author=Ralph Miller|year=1990 |publisher=Sagamore Pub. |isbn=9780915611386}}</ref> While at the [[University of Kansas]], Chamberlain was known to have dunked on an experimental 12-foot basket set up by [[Phog Allen]].<ref name="ostler" />{{efn|[[Michael Wilson (basketball)|Michael Wilson]], a former [[Harlem Globetrotters|Harlem Globetrotter]] and [[Memphis Tigers men's basketball|University of Memphis]] basketball player, matched this feat on 1 April 2000 and got into the [[Guinness World Records]], albeit with an [[alley-oop]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Warner |first1=Ralph |last2=Martinez |first2=Jose |date=2012-02-29 |title=High Risers: Athletes With the Best Hops in Sports HistoryMichael Wilson |url=https://www.complex.com/sports/2012/02/high-risers-athletes-with-the-best-hops-in-sports-history/16 |access-date=2019-06-12 |website=Complex |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Butler |first=Robbie |title=The Harlem Globetrotters : Clown princes of basketball |date=2001 |publisher=Capstone Press |isbn=073684001X |location=Mankato, MN |pages=36 |oclc=47045255}}</ref>}} When Chamberlain dunked the ball it was called a "dipper dunk."
[[File:Lew Alcindor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar UCLA.jpg|thumb|200px|left|A dunk by Alcindor]]

===Lew Alcindor rule===
Dunking was banned in the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] and high school sports from 1967 to 1976.<ref>
[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121082366/march-28-1967-the-day-the-dunk-shot/ "Dunk Shot Is Ruled Out of the Game"], ''Indianapolis Star'', March 29, 1967, p. 29</ref><ref name="tdicbk">{{cite news |date=1 April 1976 |title=The dunk is coming back |page=1C |work=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |location=(Oregon) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jScRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6173%2C148880}}</ref><ref name="lvdnrml">{{cite news |last=Doney |first=Ken |date=1 April 1976 |title='They'll love dunk' - Miller |page=2B |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |agency=Associated Press |location=(Idaho) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FalfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3140%2C199232}}</ref> Many people have attributed the ban to the dominance of the college phenomenon Lew Alcindor (now known as [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]);<ref name="sldmwi">{{cite news |date=2 April 1976 |title=Slam dunk: most welcome it |page=2B |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |agency=Associated Press |location=(Idaho) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FqlfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3306%2C652808}}</ref> the no-dunking rule is sometimes referred to as the "Lew Alcindor rule."<ref>time.com, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060819171816/http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,836963,00.html Lew's Still Loose]. Retrieved 15 April 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Caponi |first=Gena |title=Signifyin(G), Sanctifyin', & Slam Dunking |publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Press]] |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-55849-183-0 |location=Amherst |page=4}}</ref> Others have attributed the ban to racial motivations, as at the time most of the prominent dunkers in college basketball were African-American, and the ban took place less than a year after the [[1966 NCAA University Division basketball championship game]], wherein a [[1965–66 Texas Western Miners basketball team|Texas Western team with an all-black starting lineup]] beat [[1965–66 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team|an all-white Kentucky team]] to win the national championship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=When college basketball outlawed the dunk |date=23 March 2014 |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/20140323_Giving__Em_Fitz__When_college_basketball_outlawed_the_dunk.html}}</ref> Under head coach [[Guy Lewis]], [[Houston Cougars men's basketball|Houston]] (with [[Elvin Hayes]]) made considerable use of the {{nowrap|"stuff" shot}} on their way to the Final Four {{nowrap|in [[1967 NCAA University Division basketball tournament|1967]].<ref name=hccad>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3qdVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6945%2C4757654 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Houston cage coach advocates stuff shot |date=24 March 1967 |page=3B}}</ref>}}

=== Breakaway rims ===
[[File:Jordan by Lipofsky 16577.jpg|thumb|[[Michael Jordan]] dunking in 1987]]
In the NBA, in 1976 Arthur Erhat filed a patent for "a rim that had give but immediately returned to its original position," making dunking safe for the first time by significantly reducing the shattering of backboards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greene |first=Nick |date=2015-04-01 |title=A Brief History Of The Slam Dunk |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62428/brief-history-slam-dunk |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=Mental Floss |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="breakaway">Keilman, John and Tribune staff reporter - [https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-04-04-0504040109-story.html This gadget really was a slam-dunk]. Chicago Tribune, April 4, 2005</ref> In 1979, Erving's teammate and center [[Darryl Dawkins]] twice [[Backboard shattering|shattered NBA backboards]] with dunks leading to a quickly-enacted rule making it an offence to break the backboard.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}} Technology has evolved to adapt to the increased strength and weight of players to withstand the force of such dunks, such as the [[breakaway rim]] (introduced to the NBA in 1981) changes to the material used for the backboards, and strengthening of the goal standards themselves. The invention by Arthur Ehrat to create the breakaway rim with a spring on it led to the return of the dunk in college basketball.<ref name="breakaway" />

All-star power forward [[Gus Johnson (basketball)|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.<ref name="goldaper">{{Cite news |last=Goldaper |first=Sam |date=30 April 1987 |title=Gus Johnson, Ex-N.B.A. Star with Baltimore, is Dead at 48 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE6D6153FF933A05757C0A961948260}}</ref>{{efn|In one game, Chamberlain [[Dislocated shoulder|dislocated the shoulder]] of Johnson by blocking his dunk attempt. }} [[Lucious Jackson|Luke Jackson]] also shattered a backboard in 1968.<ref>{{cite news| newspaper=[[Milwaukee Sentinel]] |date = 12 November 1968}}</ref> In the ABA, [[Charlie Hentz]] broke two backboards in the same game on 6 November 1970 resulting in the game being called.<ref name="sivault">{{Cite news |date=16 November 1970 |title=A Roundup Of The Sports Information Of The Week |newspaper=[[Sports Illustrated]] |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1970/11/16/a-roundup-of-the-sports-information-of-the-week/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006235133/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1084305/index.htm |archive-date=6 October 2008}}</ref>{{efn|In the NCAA, [[Jerome Lane]] shattered a backboard while playing for [[Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball|Pitt]] in a 1988 regular-season game against [[Providence Friars men's basketball|Providence]], and [[Darvin Ham]] did the same while playing for [[Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball|Texas Tech]] in a [[1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|tournament]] game against [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|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]].}}

The NBA has made shattering the backboard a [[technical foul]], although it will not count towards a player's count of seven that can draw a suspension, or two towards ejection from a game, though it counts towards a player's count of six personal fouls. This has assisted in deterring this action, as it can cost the team points.

=== Slam Dunk Contest era ===
The first-ever Slam Dunk Contest was held on January 27, 1976 at [[McNichols Sports Arena]] in [[Denver]] during halftime of the [[1976 ABA All-Star Game]], the league's final All-Star game before the completion of the [[ABA–NBA merger]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Sheehan Jr |first=Vinny |date=February 16, 2018 |title=Reliving the first Slam Dunk Contest with David Thompson |url=https://247sports.com/college/north-carolina-state/Article/Reliving-the-first-Slam-Dunk-Contest-with-NC-State-legend-David-Thompson-115187422/ |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=Pack Pride |language=en-US}}</ref> Erving defeated Thompson in the championship round, after leaping from the free-throw line. The other participants were [[Artis Gilmore]], [[George Gervin]], and [[Larry Kenon]]. 

The NBA held its first Slam Dunk Contest as a one-off, season-long event similar to NBA Horse event held [[1977–78 NBA season|the following season]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Dr. Dunk Rates His Competition |url=http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/hillman_dunkers_050920.html |website=[[NBA.com]]}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Medworth |first=Whitney |date=2017-03-08 |title=Darnell Hillman won the NBA dunk contest in 1977. He finally got his trophy |url=https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2017/3/8/14864396/darnell-hillman-nba-dunk-contest-in-1977-finally-got-a-trophy |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=SBNation.com |language=en}}</ref> During halftime at each game, there was a one-on-one slam dunk competition.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Kelly |date=March 9, 2017 |title=1977 NBA Slam Dunk champ Darnell Hillman is finally given a trophy, 40 years later |url=http://sports.yahoo.com/news/1977-nba-slam-dunk-champ-darnell-hillman-is-finally-given-a-trophy-40-years-later-204834425.html |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=sports.yahoo.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Former ABA player [[Darnell Hillman|Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman]] was named the winner that season. Although he received the winner's $15,000 check, Hillman did not receive a trophy until 2017.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |date=June 12, 1977 |title=For Dunk Contest: Hillman Shirt Different |pages=5C |work=The Victoria Advocate |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19770612&id=4UdgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D3ENAAAAIBAJ&pg=5416,2412756 |access-date=July 18, 2022 |via=Google News}}</ref>

====Modern era====
The Houston Cougars from 1982 to 1984, with [[Hakeem Olajuwon]] and [[Clyde Drexler]], were known as [[Phi Slama Jama]]. The national champion [[1981–82 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team|1982 North Carolina Tar Heels]] also featured two notable dunkers: [[James Worthy]] and [[Michael Jordan]].

[[Larry Nance]] won the first modern dunk contest in 1984. [[Spud Webb]] at {{convert|5|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}} defeated {{convert|6|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}} [[Dominique Wilkins]] in the 1986 dunk contest.  

Michael Jordan nicknamed "Air Jordan" for his dunking ability, popularized a dunk referred to by some fans as the "Leaner" in 1987 contest. 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.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}} In the 1988 [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] [[Slam Dunk Contest]], which came down to [[Michael Jordan]] and Dominique Wilkins, Jordan dunked from the free-throw line, much like Erving, but parted his legs making his dunk arguably more memorable than [[Julius Erving|Erving's]]. 

Twice in his rookie season ({{nbay|1992}}) 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 (basketball)|Chris Morris]] shattered a backboard in a game against the [[Chicago Bulls]] (the most recent shattered-backboard incident in the NBA to date).
[[File:Kobe Bryant dunking 2013.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kobe Bryant]] dunking in 2013]]
In the 1996 [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] [[Slam Dunk Contest]], winner [[Brent Barry]] dunked from the free-throw line. Barry received 49 (out of 50) for the dunk.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3toFlRh0_J8 1996 Brent Barry Dunk From The Freethrow Line]</ref> [[Kobe Bryant]] won the 1997 Dunk Contest.

====2000–present====
[[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".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Wallace |first1=Michael |last2=Peterson |first2=Rob |date=2015-09-25 |title=In a single bound: Oral history of Vince Carter's greatest dunk |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/13713188/after-15-years-saw-vince-carter-leap-frederic-weis-sydney-believe-witnessed |access-date=2019-06-12 |website=ESPN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gould |first=Andrew |date=2018-02-15 |title=Relive Vince Carter's Iconic Dunk over Frederic Weis in the 2000 Olympics |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2759678-relive-vince-carters-iconic-dunk-over-frederic-weis-in-the-2000-olympics |access-date=2019-06-12 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref> In the 2000 dunk contest Carter used an elbow hang along with his reverse 360 windmill dunk (reminiscent of Kenny Walker's 360 windmill dunk in 1989 except that Carter spins clockwise, whereas Walker spins counter-clockwise) and between-the-legs dunk. When performed, much of the audience was speechless, including the judges, because none had seen these types of dunks before.

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-oop]]ed the [[basketball]] as Howard jumped from within the [[Key (basketball)|key]] side of the free throw circle line, caught the ball, and threw it through the rim. This dunk is somewhat 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 2009 NBA dunk contest, Howard had a separate goal brought onto the court, and the rim was noticeably significantly higher than a standard goal. Howard, after going into a 1950s-era telephone booth and again fashioning the Superman attire, caught a pass from Nelson and easily completed a two-handed dunk on the higher goal. 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]], playing on Howard's Superman theme. He used a green "Kryptonite" ball, and jumped over the 6'11" Howard prior to dunking. This dunk and the theatrics could have won the competition for Robinson, who was voted the winner by the NBA fans. Robinson then thanked Howard for graciously allowing him to dunk over him, asking the crowd to also give Howard a round of applause.

More recently, [[Los Angeles Clippers|the Clippers]] earned the nickname "Lob City" from 2011 onwards, with [[Chris Paul]] utilizing alley-oop passes regularly to teammates [[Blake Griffin]], and [[DeAndre Jordan]].

[[JaVale McGee]] currently holds the world record for Most Basketball Dunks in a Single Jump: three. While competing in the 2011 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, McGee jumped with two balls in his possession and dunked each prior to receiving and slamming an alley-oop pass from then teammate [[John Wall]].<ref>{{cite web |date=19 February 2011 |title=Most basketball dunks in a single jump |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/10000/most-basketball-dunks-in-a-single-jump |access-date=8 September 2016}}</ref>

In the 2016 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, [[Zach LaVine]] dunked from the free throw line on three occasions: One Hand, Windmill, and Between the Legs. All of the Dunks received a score of 50 for the dunk and won the Dunk contest.