An NBA player by the name of Spud Webb turned out the be the best surprise of the 1986 NBA All Star break when he kicked the other competitors’ asses in the Slam Dunk game. Besides, it’s not a common occurrence that a 5 ft. 7 in. basketball player gets to beat 6 footers in a game such as a slam dunk championship. But that is what Spud Webb did and thus, it earned him a special page in NBA history.
To add a little more spice to the night’s games, Spud Webb was even pitted against his then Atlanta Hawks team mate Dominique Wilkins, also known as the ‘Human Highlight Film’. Wilkins was the defending champion in the dunk contest so it was a very exciting affair indeed with Spud going up against a player who was considered a star player of their time.
But to everyone’s delight, Spud got the best dunk nod and won the championship. It was a great achievement for the smallest player who competed in the contest that night. Spud Webb actually set two NBA records and one for being the shortest player to join in that NBA event and then one for the shortest player who won the contest.
While not many sports fans of today will know him, people will still find his highlight videos on websites like YouTube if they are curious about him and want to learn more about the outstanding feat this professional basketball player had achieved. A simple search of ‘Spud Webb winning dunk’ will result to that showcase his dunking prowess during that 1986 slam dunk championship, side by side with Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.
Spud Webb’s Humble Origins
During the early part of his life, Spud Webb just knew that basketball was his way to achieve the better life. He came from a poor family but he aspired to become a good player and had a good run with his high school (Wilmer-Hutchins) where he averaged about 26 points per game!
He later studied in Midland College in Texas where he showed off his scoring abilities during their championship game with Miami-Dade North of Florida. He pocketed 36 points on that game and resulted to his being mentioned in Sports Illustrated. He later moved to North Carolina State University.
He joined the NBA in a very low profile manner and it first did seem that his career with the league will not last. A 4th round draft by the Detroit Pistons, he was removed from the team shortly after that. However, Atlanta Hawks saw something else and invited him to apply for the team in a tryout. The Hawks liked him and included him in the team for the 1985-1986 season. He stayed with them for six years until the 1991 season when he transferred to the Sacramento Kings. Webb stayed with the Kings for the next four years and then shuffled between teams for the next 3 years. In 1998, he quit the NBA after playing for Orlando Magic.
Spud Webb’s more than a decade of professional basketball career was an awesome success story of triumph over any physical limitation. He achieved his dreams by jumping higher than his competition that night of 1986 in the NBA Slam Dunk championship.
Spud Webb is now a popular basketball speaker, helping to inspire people to achieve the impossible, just like what he did.
Tags: A, b, basketball, basketball training, e, exercise, f, fitness, h, health, Health & Fitness, higher jump, i, o, p, plyometrics, r, Recreation & Sports, s, sport, Sports, sports training, v, volleyball, weight training