40 years ago, Spud Webb revolutionized the dunk contest
We are in 1986, in Dallas, in the middle of the All-Star Game to witness the dunk contest. This is the third edition of this competition, it was won in 1984 by Larry Nanceand in 1985 from Dominique Wilkins. The latter is also a strong favorite for his own succession. The Hawks wing combined relaxation and power like no other at the time.
Next to him for this competition we find his brother (Gerald), deceased Jerome KerseyPaul Pressey, Roy Hinson, former Levallois player Terence Stansbury, and therefore a certain Anthony “Spud” Webb, a 4th round draft pick in 1985 whose 62nd birthday is celebrated this July 13th.
Ever since he was born in Dallas, Spud Webb has been the smallest player in the league. Unknown to the general public, everyone wonders what a 1m70 boy is doing there, among the giants.
Pioneer
1986. No YouTube. No social media. The national network doesn’t necessarily favor the Hawks, and few have actually seen him play.
However, one attempt will be enough to silence everyone. The rest were incredible dunks for a boy this size. We have rarely seen such explosiveness and ease.
In front of a crowd he had won over to his cause, Spud Webb defeated his teammate and favorite Dominique Wilkins. A pioneer for an entire generation of players (Maggie Boggs, Earl Boykins, Nate Robinson and Isaiah Thomas), he proved that he was more than just a dunker that year, averaging nearly 10 points.
He is not a fan of current competitions
Forty years later, Spud Webb is back in Dallas where he is the president of the Texas Legends, the G-League franchise, the Mavericks’ younger sister, and laments what happened to the slam dunk contest where you can run into a car, a drone or any other accessory.
“I rarely watch them and settle for the highlights” he confided a few years ago. “I just don’t like the props. I’m part of the old school that looks at it as a man-on-man duel: if you dunk, I have to do better. The props aren’t going to help me get better. There are some very athletic guys, but I like to see creative guys. Just a guy who makes a nice dunk instead of seeing guys put people back or things like that.
2026-02-14 11:29:00
