Remembering NC State’s Spud Webb Winning the 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 Spud Webb’s shocking victory in the 1986 NBA Dunk Contest. Webb, who is 5’7”, is still the shortest player to ever win this prestigious event.

Webb played two seasons at NC State (83-85), averaging 10.4 points and 5.7 assists. In ‘83’84, Webb led the ACC  in assists, and in ‘84-85, he earned 2nd Team All-ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament All-Region Team.

He was then drafts by the Detroit Pistons with the 87th overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft.

Webb was the shortest person to compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, winning the event in 1986 at Dallas’ Reunion Arena. His participation surprised the media; including his teammate and defending dunk champion Dominique Wilkins, who had “never seen me dunk before”, Webb said. His dunks included the elevator two-handed double pump dunk, the off-the-backboard one-handed jam, a 360-degree helicopter one-handed dunk, a reverse double-pump slam, and finally, the reverse two-handed strawberry jam from a lob bounce off the floor. He defeated Wilkins with two perfect 50-point scores in the final round. Atlanta coach Mike Fratello said, “Spud kind of duped him. He told Wilkins he never had anything prepared, didn’t practice for it. So, Wilkins maybe thought his normal assortment would be good enough to get through”. Twenty years after Webb’s victory in the Slam Dunk contest, he trained New York Knicks point guard Nate Robinson (who stands at 5 feet 9 inches tall) to win the event. Webb tossed the ball to Robinson, who leaped over Webb and dunked, earning 50 points from the judges. Robinson went on to win, making him and Spud the only two people in NBA history under six feet tall to win a slam dunk contest.

Webb was a judge for the 2010 Dunk contest in Dallas, at the American Airlines Center. It was the first time the event has been in Dallas since Webb’s win in 1986. (Wiki)