Spud Webb wins dunk contest
On February 8 1986 Spud Webb who at 57 was one of the shortest players in the history of professional basketball wins the NBA slam dunk contest beating his Atlanta Hawks teammate and 1985 dunk champ the 68 Dominique Wilkins.Anthony Jerome Spud Webb was born July 13 1963 in Dallas Texas.Throughout his life Webb had to prove himself as a basketball player due to his relatively small stature.As a high school player he averaged 26 points per game and was one of 10 students out of 5000 selected to the All-State team however his size prevented him from being recruited for Division 1-A colleges.
Instead he attended Midland Junior College in Texas where he led his team to victory in the 1982 junior college championship.He then caught the attention of the coaches at North Carolina State University where he went on to play for two years.Despite a strong college career his size initially kept him from making the NBA and after graduation he played in the U.S.Basketball League.
In 1985 he had a successful tryout with the Atlanta Hawks and joined the team.Webb played six seasons with the Hawks followed by stints with the Sacramento Kings the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic.One of the most memorable events of Webbs career was his dunk contest win which took place on February 8 1986 at the NBA All-Star Game Weekend in Dallas.Webb the shortest player to ever participate in the competition to that time went up against men who were in some cases a foot taller.
In the end size didnt matter.Webb dazzled the crowd with his soaring dunks and bested teammate Dominique Wilkins who had won the 1985 contest by beating Michael Jordan.(The NBAs first slam dunk competition was held in 1984.)Webb retired from basketball in 1998 after 12 seasons in the NBA.
He was said to have paved the way for other height-challenged NBA players including 55 Earl Boykins and 53 Muggsy Bogues.In 2006 59 Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks became the second-shortest player to emerge victorious in the NBA slam dunk contest.Spud Webb was on hand in Dallas for the event and during one dunk Robinson jumped over him and put the ball through the hoop.
