Remembering David Thompson Landing the 1st EVER 360 in the 1st EVER Dunk Contest

Tonight Dennis Smith Jr. will become the 3rd former NC State player to participate in the Dunk Contest. The other two players were Spud Webb and none other than David “Skywalker” Thompson. Before DSJ takes flight tonight, let’s take a moment to look back at the first EVER Dunk Contest, which featured Thompson against the great Dr. J, Julius Erving.

In 1976, the ABA was struggling to compete with the NBA, so in an effort to increase viewership, they had a dunk contest at halftime that featured rookie David Thompson, Julius Erving, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and Larry Kenon. The event wasn’t nearly as structured as it is now. There were no rounds, and I don’t even know how they technically scored it.

Basically each player had 2 minutes to pull of 5 dunks. Two dunks were mandatory: standing under the basket, and taking off 10 feet from the basket. The other 3 dunks had to come from the right side, the left, and a baseline of your choosing (They didn’t want the rim to break).

While Dr. J took the crown (I mean, the dude took off from the free-throw line on the 2nd Dunk)…

Skywalker, the shortest in the competition at 6’4”, became the first player EVER recorded doing a 360 Dunk (awesomely called a “twist-around” originally).

The NBA had their first dunk contest in 1984.