A slam dunk (or simply a dunk) is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball through the basket with one or both of his hands, then often grabs the rim shortly after the ball passes through the hoop (a dunk is still being performed if the rim is not grabbed, as long as the athlete powers the ball through the hoop manually). This is a standard field goal worth two points. The term “slam dunk” was first coined by former L.A. Lakers announcer Chick Hearn [1]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuAD3buXDzU[/youtube]
The slam dunk is one of the highest percentage field goals one can attempt in basketball as well as one of the most crowd-pleasing plays. Other terms for slam dunk include “jam”, “stuff”, “flush”, “cram” or “throw down”. Slam dunk contests are quite popular, and perhaps the most popular contest is the NBA Slam Dunk Contest held during the annual NBA All-Star Weekend. The first slam dunk contest was held during an American Basketball Association All Star Game.
Dunking was banned in the NCAA from 1967 to 1976. Many have attributed this to the dominance of the then-college phenomenon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then called Lew Alcindor) upon his entry into the NCAA. Subsequently, the no-dunking rule is sometimes referred to as the “Lew Alcindor Rule”. However the greater likelihood is that the dunk was banned because of the likes of Bob Ferguson, who popularized the dunk when he was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1968.[2]
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Professional Basketball Player. He was a forward for five seasons (2001 to 2003, 2004 to 2007) in the National Basketball Association, with the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. During his high school years, Griffin was a standout player at Philadelphia’s Roman Catholic High School. In 303 career NBA games, Griffin scored 2,171 points. He was killed in an automobile accident.
