Dunk Contest

2000: Vince Carter revives the Dunk Contest

There is surely not a single player in the NBA that wasn't inspired, in some way, by Vince Carter's iconic Dunk Contest performance in 2000. Just as the generation before was wowed by Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, and the one before that by Julius Erving and Daryl Dawkins, Vinsanity defined the early 2000's.

As you will likely remember, the Dunk Contest was given its apparent last rites back in 1997. It's not that the dunks weren't great – Kobe Bryant and Brent Barry threw down some wonderful jams – it's that there wasn't really anything new being pitched out there. JR Rider's through the legs dunk was perhaps the last great 'new' dunk in the BC (Before Carter) era. The contest was 'rested' for the 1998 All Star weekend, and the lockout put pay to any All Star activities in 1999.

Come 2000, there was new hope for the new millennium. The Dunk contest contained 5 players in their 2nd year of NBA service, with relative old man in the 25 year old Jerry Stackhouse the outlier. All 6 players would have – at worst - good NBA careers. This was, the NBA hoped, a new dawn for the dunk competition. Vince Carter ensured that it was.

Sure, Carter played some of the Classics, like Rider's through the legs dunk – he just did it better. He brought out Dominique's trademark windmill – he just made it harder. He went and created a new dunk, even if most of the crowd didn't realise it at the time.

 

The reactions of those court side after Carter’s dunks said it all. People were giggling, they were shaking their heads in disbelief, they sat in stunned silence, trying to compute what they were witnessing.

The dunks themselves only tell half of the story. Carter's vigour was infectious. Every step, no scratch that, every bounce was pure energy. That energy transferred to the crowd. Oakland Arena was heaving.

Carter also paved the way for other young stars to show out at the Dunk Contest, healing the other disease that had infected the competition: a lack of star power. Steve Francis, Amare Stoudamire and Baron Davis all made appearances in the seasons after Carter's Opus Magnum. Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, John Wall, Paul George and Donovan Mitchell have all appeared. The big names (LeBron aside) want to be a part of this, now. That is all thanks to Vince Carter.

Sadly, Carter never returned to the competition, even though he can still throw it down despite being in his 40's. Perhaps it's better that way. After all, how do you top perfection?

 

All Star Game

1992: Magic's last dance...for a while.

It's the NBA's version of the Moon Landing. Most NBA fans of a certain age can tell you exactly where they were when the new broke in November 1991, that Magic Johnson had contracted HIV and would immediately retire from professional basketball.

For a 13 year old me, I was in my backyard getting some shots up when my Mum called me inside to watch the news. Something was definitely amiss: why would she want me to watch the news? Watching the report was heartbreaking. One of my heroes was going to die! I called up my friend Trix who was a Lakers tragic and he was in tears. We were due to play a game that evening and we did the only thing we could think of and wore black armbands; for a man that was still alive and kicking. Trix held back tears after the game as my mother hugged him. That's the sort of impact that Magic had, even all the way on the other side of the globe in Australia.

Thankfully, Magic has lived a full life since his diagnosis. However we didn't know that would happen back in 1991. The world was witnessing the demise of Freddy Mercury from the disease. Now it was going to claim Magic? It was hard to comprehend.

All of this made the 1992 All Star game in Orlando all the more important. It was Magic's swansong.

The game itself was fairly typical of the era in that it was relatively high scoring, but still competitive, with Hall of Famers like Olajuwan, Robinson and Ewing trying to block everything in sight, leading to some big dunks for the likes of Jordan, Pippen, Barkley, Drexler and uh...Dennis Rodman. The passing was delightful. The game was still competitive, despite the West running up the score.

The moment where this game became special was the closing stretch where, at one end Isaiah Thomas and Michael Jordan unsuccessfully put the moves on Magic, while at the other end Magic rifled a trademark no look laser to a cutting Dan Majerle and – a career 30% shooter from deep, remember - made three consecutive 3’s, the last of which was heavily guarded, including an off ball double team! Que euphoria as first his teammates, then the East led by his great friend Isiah Thomas, then the coaches all embraced a smiling but clearly feeling the moment Johnson. Que the shot of his emotional parents in the crowd. Que the shot of an emotional 13 year old in his Melbourne lounge room.

This was the glorious finale. Magic Johnson triumphantly riding off into the sunset.

Given the success of the 2020 All Star Game – Kyle Lowry even took a charge! - let’s hope that we get to see many years of the NBA’s best make the All Star game special with their effort, competitiveness and enthusiasm, rather than having an assumed tragedy make the game iconic. The All Star game is supposed to be the best, taking on the best, to see who stands on top of the mountain. 2020 has gone a long way to re-establishing what the game should be about.

So that’s my All Time All Star weekend: the 1988 3-point shoot out; the 2000 dunk contest & the 1992 All Star Game.

What’s yours?