The Slam Dunk Contest tends to bring out the greatest dunkers ever. Dr. J. Michael Jordan. Dominique Wilkins. Harold Miner.
Harold Miner? Well, he did win the thing twice...which will forever be his mark in the NBA books. But, as people complain about who is in the dunk contest....or better, who isn’t....there have been some historic "huh" players that entered the competition.
Michael Cooper.....yep Coop....was in the inaugural dunk contest back in 1984. He finished dead last out of 9 competitors.
In 1985, you had Jordan, Nique, Erving, Nance, Dunkenstein Griffith, Orlando Woolridge and Clyde The Glide in the contest. You also had Terence Stansbury. WHO???? Exactly. Stansbury was a rookie for the Pacers...who were hosting the All Star weekend in ‘85. Only Jordan and Nique finished better than....uh..."Stansbury the Mansbury"?? Well, Stansbury had the "Statue Of Liberty" dunk that got him a perfect 50...and he actually had a dunk-off to see who would face Wilkins in the finals. Terence finished his 3-year NBA career with just over 6 ppg.
Stansbury was back in 1986...when little man Spud Webb won the whole thing. Dominique Wilkins was joined in the contest by his brother Gerald. Jordan sat this won out. Stansbury was back at it in 1987...where Jordan won his first dunking contest. Stansbury wasn’t in the 1988 dunk contest...since you have to be an active NBA player to compete in it.
Stansbury is Indiana's #43
How about Shelton Jones? His lone NBA season, 1989, he played for 3 different teams. But, he was in the dunk contest as a Sixer. Or Billy Thompson? He was Laker taken by the Miami Heat in the 1988 expansion draft. He was in the 1990 dunk contest. Or Blue Edwards? Or Blue’s Utah replacement David Benoit? Mahmoud Abdul-Raof was in the dunk contest???
How about Alan Houston? The 3-pt contest...yeah. But the dunk contest? Antonio Davis was in the same competition in 1994. In 1996, Doug Christie was in the dunk contest.
One of those years Baby Jordan won....he had Jamie Watson, Antonio Harvey and Tony Dumas as fellow dunkers. Maybe Ray Allen is most angry that Kobe Bryant beat him in the 1997 dunk-off? Or maybe that Allen was also beaten by Chris Carr?
Anyway, the dunk contest has had it?s share of "who the heck is that" players...so don?t get too mad that it is continuing to this day.
Nance, Nique, Spud, MJ, Walker, Dee, Miner, Ceballos, Rider, Barry, Kobe, Vince, Mason and J-Rich
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