The ball in the hoop, like a bun in coffee
What is a slam dunk? The simplest explanation is a shot into the basket from above, in which the player jumps up and directs the ball into the goal with one or two hands.
Slam dunks usually fill almost the entire section in which the NBA collects the most memorable moments of a match or season.
The history of the slam dunk
By the early 1980s, overhead shots had become an integral part of basketball culture, one of its main traditions. Without a few spectacular dunks, the game is no longer the same.
In addition to the classic slam dunk, there are a huge number of variations on overhead shots:
- one-handed tomahawk,
- reverse dunk or 180-degree dunk,
- windmill, double windmill,
- cradle,
- between the legs,
- double pump,
- elbow dunk (elbow to the ring).
And so on — the attackers’ imagination is limitless.
The author of the first slam dunk is considered to be American Joe Fortenberry, Olympic champion in 1936. Standing two metres tall, this player, as the New York Times wrote, ‘displayed an amazing ability to dunk the ball straight into the hoop, as if a cafeteria patron were dunking a bun into coffee.’
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But it wasn’t easy for dunks to make their way into the spotlight. Incidentally, the shot was first called a ‘dunk shot’ until Los Angeles Lakers commentator Chick Hearn coined the term ‘slam dunk.’
In the 1940s, centre Bob Kurland, another Olympic champion from the United States, also tried to perform slam dunks regularly during matches. However, defenders perceived such a shot as a personal insult deserving of retaliation. They tried in every way possible to intimidate Kurland and those who tried to imitate him.
Alcindor’s rule
When a basketball player soared into the air, he was not allowed to land calmly, being knocked down in mid-air. It was an unwritten rule.
Kurland’s competitor for the centre position, George Mikan, admitted: ‘We often decided to do dunks only in pre-game training, not in the game. Otherwise, we risked ending our days in a wheelchair.’
However, the daredevils continued to storm the top, despite resistance from the conservatives.
By the early 1960s, some of the tallest and strongest centres in the NBA, such as Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, had incorporated this move into their offensive arsenal on a regular basis.
Slightly shorter players — forwards and guards — also began to gradually perform dunks. The pioneers are considered to be the famous ‘Jumping’ Johnny Green, Gus Johnson, Elgin Baylor and Connie Hawkins in the 1960s, as well as David Thompson and Julius Erving in the 1970s. Thanks to them, the dunk became a standard move in North American leagues.
However, this was not the case everywhere. In the strongest North American student league, the NCAA, which is where the NBA draws its reserves, dunks were banned for almost ten years — from 1967 to 1976.
The ‘Alcindor Rule’ was introduced. It stated that a player could not shoot if his hands were above the rim. The ‘culprit’ was Lew Alcindor, who later became known to fans around the world as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. At the time, he terrorised opposing teams with his ‘dunks’.
The ban was explained by damage to property (bent rings) and the high number of injuries caused by this type of shot.
The return and development of the slam dunk: the destroyers of backboards
The player himself believed that ‘Lewis’s rule’ was a typical manifestation of racial discrimination. According to him, only black basketball players could perform correct and spectacular slam dunks.
There was a certain logic to this. The ban was introduced less than a year after the 1966 NCAA final, in which Texas Western, which fielded only African Americans, defeated Kentucky, which had an all-white roster. This was mainly due to dunks.
In 1976, after lengthy and heated debates on the subject, slam dunks made their return to the NCAA. However, not everyone agreed. Chamberlain, for example, believed that slam dunks were unacceptable in college competitions from a purely ethical point of view.
Technical innovations also helped. In 1976, Arthur Erhart applied for a patent for a hoop that bends but immediately returns to its original position, which made dunks safe for the first time, significantly reducing the number of broken backboards. This also helped the ‘nails’ return to college basketball.
The ABA (American Basketball Association, one of the NBA’s main competitors in the 1960s and 1970s) put an end to the debate. In this league, dunks became one of the main elements of the game. The first slam dunk contest was also held there at the All-Star Game. Well, the NBA then had to work hard to catch up with its competitors, taking note of all the best ideas.
However, it had to deal with the destroyers of backboards. In their excitement, dunk masters began to break them almost once a week. But they did not dare to ban overhead shots for this reason, as it would have set basketball back decades. Rules had to be introduced that strictly prohibited players from damaging property. For this, the ‘hooligan’ would receive a technical foul.