Slam dunk
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Slam Dunk is a term coined by Chick Hearn used to describe a basketball shot. A "slam dunk" is performed when a player manually guides the ball through the rim with his hands from above, then grabs the rim shortly after the ball passes through the cylinder. This is a standard shot worth 2 points. There are many ways to accomplish this and players are constantly coming up with new dunks or modifying existing ones. Slam dunk contests have become very popular at the high school, college and professional level, although the most popular one remains the NBA Slam Dunk Contest held during the annual NBA All-Star Weekend. Dunking was briefly banned in the NCAA from 1967 to 1978, some have attributed that original regulation to the dominance of then college phenom Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then called Lew Alcindor) upon his entry into the NCAA (Thus, the no-dunking rule is sometimes referred to as the "Lew Alcindor Rule"). The slam dunk is one of the highest percentage field goals one can attempt in basketball. Variations on the term slam dunk include, its shortend form of "dunk" as well as "jam", "slam", "flush", "bang", "cram", "stuff", and "throw-down".
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Notable NBA dunkers
Guards
- Brent Barry - San Antonio Spurs
- Elgin Baylor - Retired
- Dee Brown - Retired
- Kobe Bryant – "Black Mamba" "Lord of the Rings" - Los Angeles Lakers
- Vince Carter "Vinsanity" "VC" "Half Man, Half Amazing" – New Jersey Nets
- Ricky Davis – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Clyde Drexler "The Glide" - Retired
- Steve Francis "The Franchise" – New York Knicks
- Darrell Griffith "Dr. Dunkenstein" - Retired
- Connie Hawkins – Retired
- Fred Jones – Indiana Pacers
- Michael Jordan "Air Jordan" "His Airness" "MJ"- Retired
- Tracy McGrady "T-Mac" – Houston Rockets
- Harold Miner - Retired
- Paul Pierce "The Truth" – Boston Celtics
- Nate Robinson - New York Knicks
- Jason Richardson "J-Rich" – Golden State Warriors
- J.R. Smith - New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
- Kenny Smith "The Jet" - Retired
- Dwyane Wade "Flash" - Miami Heat
- Spud Webb - Retired
Forwards
- Chris Anderson "Birdman"- New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
- Charles Barkley "Sir Charles" - Retired
- Chris Bosh "CB4" - Toronto Raptors
- Cedric Ceballos "Ice" - Retired
- Darryl Dawkins "Chocolate Thunder" - Retired
- Julius Erving "Dr. J" - Retired
- Kevin Garnett "KG" "The Big Ticket" – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Grant Hill – Orlando Magic
- Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic
- Andre Iguodala "Iggy" "The Other AI" – Philadelphia 76ers
- LeBron James "King James"– Cleveland Cavaliers
- Richard Jefferson "R.J." – New Jersey Nets
- Larry Johnson "LJ" "Grandmama" - Retired
- Jeff Rose "J Ro" - New York Knicks
- Shawn Kemp "The Rain-Man" - Orlando Magic
- Jerome Kersey - Retired
- Shawn Marion "The Matrix" – Phoenix Suns
- Kenyon Martin "K-Mart" – Denver Nuggets
- Jamal Mashburn - Retired
- Desmond Mason – New Orleans Hornets
- Darius Miles "D-Miles" – Portland Trailblazers
- Larry Nance - Retired
- Scottie Pippen "Pip" - Retired
- Isaiah Rider - Retired
- Byron Scott – Retired
- Josh Smith – Atlanta Hawks
- Tony Wang "The Dominator" - Philadelphia 76ers
- Jerry Stackhouse "Stack" - Dallas Mavericks
- Amare Stoudemire "Mar-Ray" - Phoenix Suns
- Stromile Swift "Stro" - Houston Rockets
- David Thompson – Retired
- Kenny Walker "Sky Walker" - Retired
- Rasheed Wallace "Sheed" - Detroit Pistons
- Dominique Wilkins "The Human Highlight Film" - Retired
- James Worthy - Retired
- Chris Wilcox - Seattle Supersonics
- Gerald Wallace - Charlotte Bobcats
Centers
- Wilt Chamberlain "The Big Dipper" "The Stilt" - Deceased
- Patrick Ewing - Retired
- Alonzo Mourning "Zo" – Miami Heat
- Jermaine O'Neal - Indiana Pacers
- Shaquille O'Neal "Shaq" "The Diesel" "The Big Aristotle" "Big Daddy" " Big Man" "Superman" – Miami Heat
- Hakeem Olajuwon "Dream"- Retired
- David Robinson "The Admiral" - Retired
- Ben Wallace "Big Ben" - Detroit Pistons
Use of "slam dunk" off the court
The phrase "slam dunk" is often used outside of basketball, usually to signify success or something that is easily accomplished or that has a high liklihood of success. For example, one could say "this case is a slam dunk," or "that was a slam-dunk performance," though this is seen by many as being colloquial.
A real-life example of the use of this phrase occurred within the George W. Bush Administration during the build-up to the Iraq War. When President Bush asked Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet in December 2002 whether the intelligence indicating that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was solid enough, Tenet's reply was that it was a "slam dunk" (according to reporter Bob Woodward).