They Say I Walk Around Like I Got an "S" on my Chest

Recently the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest has become bland and unoriginal. Let's face it, the days of Jordan/Wilkins have passed us and lately the event has showcased ordinary seen-that-before type dunks. Yet in 2008, a cape crusader from Orlando brought forth some of the most creative aerial assaults ever seen.

Not to take anything away from other contestants: Minnesota's Gerald Green, Toronto's Jamario Moon, and Memphis' Rudy Gay, but Orlando Magic 6-foot-11 Center Dwight Howard stole the show. "It's really for the big men," Howard said. "Everybody always says, big men can't jump and big men don't look good dunking. I just tried to add a little bit of my personality. With me being so tall, I knew it was going to be tough. I tried to play to the crowd and have fun." Dwight started things off with a dunk he had been practicing for two years. Standing on the baseline, he tossed the ball off the reverse side of the backboard, caught it with two hands, and after peering through the glass at the rim, dunked left-handed. Howard recieved perfect scores from three of the most prolific dunkers in the history of the sport: Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving, and Darryl Dawkins.



Yet, it wasn't until the big man stripped off his blue Magic jersey to reveal the "S" on his chest that things really started to heat up. Before he proceeded, teammate Jameer Nelson placed a piece of tape on the court to mark where take-off point would be. Starting from mid-court, Howard got himself a running start and took off from inside the free throw line. Dwight jumped so high he was able to pretty much throw the ball in the hoop from well above the rim. The crowd erupted for one of the leagues youngest and most dominant centers. After his final dunk, the victor was up to the fans to decide. In a landslide Howard recieved 78 percent of the votes.

Safe to say, David Stern and the NBA are happy to have the Slam Dunk contest back in full swing. Even better, the league was able to market one of their premier players as the winner. Since his entrance into the league Dwight has proven to be one of the classiest individuals the NBA has ever seen. The basketball world awaits for him to repeat in 2009.
-DP.