Little Man in a Big Man's Game

Spud Webb against Manute Bol / Vedia - Flickr

Spud Webb, former Atlanta Hawks' player, was the most unexpected NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner in the history of the NBA. With a 42 inch leap, he managed to beat his team mate Dominique Wilkins in the 1986 contest in Dallas Texas with two perfect 50-point scores in the final round. "I brought back dunks I haven't used since high school," said Webb in a Dallas News interview. His arsenal of dunks included elevator two-handed double pump dunk, the one-handed off the backboard one-handed jam, a 360-degree helicopter one-handed dunk, a 180-degree reverse double-pump slam, and finally, the 180-degree reverse two-handed strawberry jam with a bounce off of the floor. Webb's small hands and inability to palm the ball did not hinder his performance. It just made him work harder, adding alley-oops or a bounce to each dunk. Winning the Slam Dunk contest was the crowning achievement of his 12 year career.

Webb is currently the third shortest person to ever compete in the NBA, behind Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues and Earl Boykins, and the shortest to ever play in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He later trained New York Knicks 5'9" point guard, Nate Robinson, who eventually won three Slam Dunk Contests. Webb also was a judge for the 2010 Dunk contest in Dallas. It was the first time the event has been in Dallas since his win in 1986. Webb enjoyed his stardom of being and coaching a small man in a big man's game.

Kenny "Skywalked" to victory in the 1989 Slam Dunk Contest

Walker Dunking / Keith Fujimoto

Kenny Walker, nicknamed Kenny “Sky” Walker for his leaping ability, won the 1989 All Star Game Slam Dunk Contest in Houston. Walker was a small forward for the New York Knicks and the first Knick to win ever win the contest. The event's star studded field included NBA Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler and former Slam Dunk champion Spud Webb.

Despite their star power, Walker left them in the dust. After reaching the finals of the dunk contest he posted the highest ever single round score with a 148.1 out of 150 in the finals. Drexler, the runner up, did not even attempt his final dunk because the score was out of reach. Walker’s signature dunk of the contest was his “Baseline Rock-The-Baby” where he went from the baseline and “rocked-the-baby” under the hoop and dunked it behind him. Walker would go on compete in one more contest losing the 1990 Slam Dunk Contest to Dominque Wilkins.

Walker's dunking ability was his claim to fame during his otherwise unspectacular career. The best statistical season he had was his rookie season in 1986 where he scored 10.4 points a game. After five seasons with the Knicks he went to the ABA for two years because of knee injuries. Walker made an NBA comeback with the Washington Bullets but never became the high impact player which many thought he would be after his rookie season. As injuries continued to plague Walker he retired from the NBA after the 1994-95 season.