Editing Slam dunk (section)

=== 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.