How the NBA's Shortest Dunker Ever Humiliated Everyone

quick question who comes to mind when you think of the best dunker of all time Vince Carter LeBron James or maybe even Michael Jordan well no matter who you thought of it probably wasn't the third shortest player in NBA history Spud Web but here's the thing because despite only being 5'7 in height he became known for his insane dunking ability from winning dunk contest with ease to frequently destroying his taller opponents by dunking on them in game everyone was too scared to defend him but how did Spud achieve the impossible and literally defy gravity during his legendary career well to find out we have to go back to 1979 Anthony Jerome whb or better known by his nickname Spud which was given to him at Birth because his parents thought his head looked like the Sputnik satellite is a junior at Wilmer Hutchins High School in Dallas Texas however unlike the other basketball players at Wilmer Spud stands at only 4T El tall and despite his clear skills the coaches at Hutchins refus to even put him on their junior varsity team however when two of their JV players failed their physicals the tiny point guard was finally given the Big Break he had been dreaming of web would take full advantage of the opportunity given to him proving to his coaches that he deserved a spot on their junior Squad yet that was likely as far as he was ever going to get at 41 but over the summer something incredible was would happen not only did Spud shoot up to 5'4 but something else had grown immensely his jumping ability the JV guard stunned Wilmer varsity coaches before his senior season with his insane vertical leap with spot standing at just 64 in tall his now 40 plus in Jump meant that he was literally skying to 2/3 of his height in order to dunk the ball through the hoop thanks to this Incredible Gift whip would earn the starting role on Wilma's vity team and during the 1980 1981 season their small athlete continued to amaze everyone not only was his ability to dunk drawing in crowds from all over Dallas but his 26 Point per game average was leading his Wilmer Hutchins team to W's after ws and there was a certain someone in the large crowds who was starting to take notice of the true potential of Wilma's tiny point guard Jerry Stone the head coach at Midlands a junior college locator in the small town of Midland Texas would offer Spud a full scholarship to lead his team an offer that web accepted but could a 5'4 player even with a 40 plus in vertical really lead a college team to championships March 22nd 1982 Coach Stone and his now 5'6 point guard have dominated the 1981 1982 Junior College season while Midlands initially struggled the team led by their Duncan guard who had averaged 21 points and seven assists in each match found themselves in the junior college national championship game against 34-0 Miami D County Spud who during his freshman season recorded 40 dunks 18 blocks and most shocking two goal TS would dominate the championship game while he was the shortest player on the court his athletic skills meant he was a blur in transition pushing the pace so fast that he was usually wide open for easy layups the former JV player enter this title night with an incredible 36 points a junior college championship and the finals MVP award however could he continue to dominate in their next season and earn a division one scholarship or would the 1982 1983 season be his last as Spud sophomore season continued web understanding this was his last chance to earn a scholarship because you can only play two seasons at the junior college level would go out and prove to be more than just a d ER the Midland star would dramatically increase his assist average to 10. 8 per game and whilst his team failed to repeat as national champions Spud had succeeded at something else because Bill Blakeley the head coach at North Texas a division 1 College had offered the tiny gu a scholarship to his program for his Junior and senior Seasons however coach Blakeley had failed to achieve the expectations set by his employers and was promptly fired by North Texas after spart sophomore season Not only was the coach who believed in him gone but the scholarship he had been offered was taken away defeated and believing his basketball career was over web would begin to make preparations for a life outside of the game he loved Spud started to work for his father at sommart until one evening when something incredible would [Music] happen you see because coach Blakeley loved SP webs game so much once he knew that his offer would no longer stand he began contacting his network of coaching colleagues selling the Midland point guards game while most couldn't see past his height Tom abati Marco the assistant coach at the 1983 National Championship winning North Carolina state after watching the small athlete play at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Dallas urged his head coach Jim valano to offer Spud a scholarship therefore coach valano trusting his right-hand man would meet the potential recruit at Ry germ airport and as everyone left the plane Jim was confused he asked his assistant where their recruit was and when abamako pointed out web valano told him you're fired but as the group bonded during their time on the NC State campus and once valano had seen what Spud could actually do on the court the now 5'7 Duncan guard was offered a full division one scholarship yet while he had dominated in high school and the junior college level would his height be a limiting factor against division one players or would he continue to decimate defenses as Spud's Junior season began web would start to truly show his potential his pure speed combined with his jumping ability made it almost impossible to keep up with him coupled with the fact that after the small guard had shown he was capable of not only dunking in practice but in games most of his Defenders would simply move out of the away when he was near the hoop because they were scared of getting Dunked On by such a short player in the 33 games the X millon star played 31 of which that he started Spud had averaged 9. 8 points 1.

9 Steals and Incredibly led the whole ACC conference and assists at six per game however having lost multiple key players from their Championship run NC State would ultimately fail to even qualify to defend their national title but there was one positive Spud Web had gone from barely making his JV team Just 4 years ago to now being a single year away from his true dream the NBA now all the undersized athlete needed to do was show that he could lead his Squad to the March Madness Tournament December 27th 1984 Ruckers has just gone on an 11 to3 run closing the Gap and edging closer to a potential upset of the 6-1 NC State Spud Webb who had scored 12 points this game knew as his team's leader he would have to calm his Squad down and stare state in the right direction therefore Spud would expertly control the ball as his team Lo to run the clock down and when it was his chance to take free throws after he was fouled web delivered his impeccable form would gain NC State a crucial 9-point lead and on the very next possession this happened almost yes it was here's web he stops the ball web stopped it and on the play North Carolina state had escaped this tense game with the w and their victories only continued because during his senior campaign web would average 11. 1 points 5. 3 assists and two steals per game leading his NC State team back to the March Madness Tournament now that spot had arrived he would set a new goal win another Collegiate national title as the NCAA Championship progressed North Carolina state would beat Nevada in the first round bow over utip in the second round a game in which Spud would not only throw down a fast break dunk but also score 29 Points and defeat Alabama in the sweet 16 NC State was now just three wins away from being crowned as Champions however they had to get through St John's and their three stars Chris Mullen Mark Jackson and Bill Winnington first coach Valvano knowing just how valuable his tiny guard was would only allow Spud to rest for less than a minute during this must-win game web would then repay his coach's trust by pushing the ball at an incredible Pace allowing him to find his teammates for easy buckets as well as scoring over the outstretched arms of his Defenders without breaking a sweat yet St John's would fight back both teams exchanged points as they fought to be crowned as a top four team in the nation however as the buzzer sounded it was Inc State who would be going home empty-handed web was crushed he was unable to truly repay coach valano and blakeley's Trust in himself yet the xjv player was proud of just how far he had come in such a short time however there was no time to dwell no Spud had entered his name into the 1985 NBA draft but would any teams really select a 5'7 player June 18th 1985 dominant 7-footer Patrick Ying from Georgetown would be the first selection in the 1985 draft by the New York a clear sign of what most NBA teams were looking for Spud would wait literal hours until the Detroit Pistons selected him in the fourth round with the 87th pick whilst Webb was a static to have achieved his NBA dreams the Pistons already had great point guards and therefore had no use for another so the former NC State athlete would have to begin his pro basketball Journey elsewhere and that place was the United States basketball league a a brand new startup competition is where Spud would get his chance web would sign to the road Island gos a team that had another Fringe NBA star 7' 7 minut Bowl yet as the 1985 usbl season continued one thing became clear spot web was far too good for the minor leagues and in fact was NBA ready however Detroit knowing that they had no use for another guard especially a tiny one would cut web from their roster during preseason but another NBA franchise was interested in Spud Services because Mike frell a 5'7 X fo/ basketball player from New Jersey had been watching web's career with a Keen Eye given his role as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks coach ftell would bring the ex piston in for a try out just a single day after he was waved by Detroit and the Hawks organization had their new s flown straight into Atlanta for their first preseason game as Spud Ste foot onto the floor for his initial NBA experience Mike would give him some advice don't worry about anything no plays don't worry when you get the ball I just want you to go as fast as you can from one end of the court to the other end of the Court either get a shot or create a shot for somebody else as the 1985 1986 season preparations continued the now Atlanta Hulk would average 9.

6 points 6. 6 assists and even managed to rack up nine steals in an exhibition game before suffering a minor injury while some in the Hawks organization wanted to cut Spud afraid that his height would be a limiting factor Atlanta's Superstar Dominique Wilkins who had won the 1985 Dunk Contest would urge his franchise to keep the small guard the Hawks impressed by not only web's on court play but his positive humble demeanor would officially signed the former JV player on October 23rd 1985 and this wasn't the only opportunity Spud was going to run with because starting point guard Doc Rivers had suffered a rest injury which meant Spud Web would now be starting Atlanta's first regular season match Not only would the now NBA athlete play his first NBA minutes as well as record his first points and assists but web would break a record the Dallas native would officially become the shortest player in the history of the league and on a fast break he would rise up and dunk the ball in shocking not only at a fans but his Hawk teammates and their organization web would finish his debut game having recorded a double double scoring 12 points as well as throwing 10 assists proving that despite his stature he truly was an NBA level player as the 1985 1986 regular season progressed Spud was continuing to stun crowds with not only his insane leaping ability but his lightning quick speed web could blow by just about anyone and if Atlanta got out on a fast break either their small guard was scoring or he was throwing lobs to his athletic teammates and this wasn't all because after Crossing up the Detroit Piston starting point guard Isaiah Thomas and averaging 5. 8 points 2.

8 assists and 1. 1 steals in a mere 12 minutes off the bench the 87th pick was invited to the all-star weekend while web was not playing in the All-Star Game his leaping ability had earned him an invite to the Lam Dunk Contest an offer given the event was being held in his hometown that the tiny athlete could not turn down a decision that was going to change the former JV player's life forever due to the simple fact Spud was 5'7 and that everyone he was competing against was almost a foot taller than him including his defending Dunk champion teammate Dominique Wilkins everyone overlooked web it's a big thr when you hear a guy say he just in it and he's not going to win it you know which is what I was hearing and it gave me a more incentive to go out and show this guy that I could do it and and I knew what I could do it just that the people and the fans had never seen me do it before and Atlanta's backup guard opened his night with an insane double pump reverse while fans had seen him throw down standard dunks in the NBA already this tricky move made it obvious just how impressive it truly was for a 5 foot s player to be dunking web's whole body was almost at the room to the point where the ball literally bounced off his forehead because it was that close to the hoop earning him what should have been 50 points as the first and second rounds of the contest progressed the other participants would showcase their own impressive dunks but after witnessing someone a foot shorter than them do almost the exact same thing nothing seemed impressive fans would only begin to per up again as Spud stepped up to Showcase all the tricks he could pull off Media thanks to his 45 Plus in vertical and signature Pony dunk Master shoes however if web was going to be crowned King of the air he was going to have to Dethrone his teammate and defending Dunk champion Dominique Wilkins the 57 dunker decided to pull out his ultimate slam stepping into a 360 single-handed Throwdown stunning his hometown crowd and earning him a perfect 50 yet Wilkins would throw down a 360 of his own which much like Spud would earn him a perfect 50 the Hawks rookie was going to have to pull another trick out of his bag if he was going to win so web would bounce the ball off the floor into the backboard and dunk it back in once again earning the small athlete a perfect 50 but Dominique could still tie and force yet another round therefore Wilkins rose up into a two-handed vicious windmill slamming the ball through the hoop with Incredible Force as the Atlanta Duo patiently waited for the judges to collate their scores most fans assumed that they were going to see another round however the scoreboard flashed 48 Spud Webb at just 5'7 had been crowned the NBA Slam Dunk champion for 1986 an incredible feat that had never been done before and his rookie success didn't end here because Doc Rivers would again unfortunately suffer an injury yet this time it was his back which opened up the starting point guard role for Spud in his first game back in their starting lineup with web would dropped 23 points 13 assists and three steals leading his Hawks past the Lakers and this wasn't all firstly two nights later against the Cleveland Cavaliers the Atlanta rookie put in 23 points through 15 assists and poked the ball out twice guiding his team to a 20-point victory secondly on March 21st in one of their final regular season games the undersized player for the ninth time that season would record 10 plus aist finally while double digit assists in a single night is incredible the real amazing feat in this match was the fact that web had thrown down not just one dunk but two against the Dallas Mavericks thanks to web's ability to replicate the play of their starting point guard whilst he was out the Atlanta Hawks had managed to win 50 games Spud Web a player who no one believed would ever step foot onto an NBA court was set to make his playoff debut against none other than the team who had just cut him 8 months ago April 17th 1986 in just 17 minutes of play the 5'7 guard would impressively score 18 points and throw five assists helping his Hawks to win game one yet what happened in game two would truly shock the NBA world because Doc Rivers had set an Atlanta Hawks single game assist record with 16 in game one but in their second matchup versus the Pistons Spud demolished River's achievement web would throw a new record 18 assists and coupled with scoring 19 points Spud Web had incredibly recorded a double double Off the Bench in just his second postseason appearance by the end of game four the former NC State guard had gotten his revenge and his Hawks were moving on to face the defending Eastern Conference champions the Boston Celtics however in almost the exact opposite fashion to their previous matchup as as game three came to a close Atlanta would find themselves down three games to zero just a single loss away from being sent home the Hawks in desperate need of a win needed someone to step up May 4th 1986 as web entered this must win game he knew what was required for victory therefore in the same way as his time in college Spud would steer the hawk ship in the right direction the lightning quick backup would push the ball so fast that he was getting easy wide openen layups or finding his teammates for simple buckets of their own thanks to their backups play a night where the short guard had scored 21 points grabbed six rebounds and thrown 13 assists it was Atlanta who landed the W yet two nights later back at Boston Garden Celtic Superstar Larry Bird would decimate the Hawk's defense bird would in the night having scored 36 points dwarfing webs 15. 8 assist night and ultimately eliminating Atlanta from title contention while Spud was devastated that his incredible rookie campaign had ended early whb had not only proved that he could dunk in the NBA but in fact he was a legit professional point guard one that was desperate for Revenge yet during the offseason thanks to his Newfound status the now sophomore Hawk was invited to the prestigious Magic Johnson charity night an event run by Irvin Magic Johnson the 6'9 Los Angeles Lakers Superstar point guard while there was a traditional All-Star Game Johnson would force both Dominique and his point guard to participate in an impromptu friendly Dunk Contest Spud would then showcase the same slams which had him crowned Champion over Wilkins stunning the fans in LA but web while he loved showcasing his talents wanted more than to just be known as a dunker and on the 22nd of November 1986 Spud would get his chance as this regular season game the first opportunity Atlanta had for revenge against Boston continued the Dallas native would again utilize his speed and athleticism scoring an incredibly difficult and one layup which gave his Hawks a one-point lead an advantage that his group held on to as this matchup rounded out Atlanta thanks to the play of their backup point guard were sitting a top their division and spuds 1986 1987 season was panning out exactly as he had planned it however on December 5th 1986 everything changed because in their regular season game versus the Indiana Pacers web after being need strained his hamstring an injury which kept him out for three straight months while the ex-midland star would eventually return in March of 1987 and continue his incredible in-game dunks he was no longer the same player from his rookie year and when Atlanta's Championship run came to an abrupt end against the Pistons in just the second round round of the playoffs web shrinking averages just 3.

9 points and 4. 8 assists in 15 minutes of play made it seem like perhaps his rookie NBA season was merely a fluke for what seemed like the H 100th time Spud was going to have to prove himself yet again May 15th 1988 web's Hawks have unfortunately once again found themselves Down 2 games to zero against the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs to make matters wor worse early into this must-win game Doc Rivers had sprained his toe meaning Atlanta's hopes fell into Spud Webb's hands therefore Spud would continue to do what he had always done the tiny guard pushed the pace at intense speeds placing immense pressure on the Celtics defense resulting in 11 points for web as well as 13 assists but more importantly a w while Atlanta had failed in this exact same situation in spuds rookie season the hawk thanks to a 17-point night from their backup point guard in game four and three of their starters dropping at least 20 points in game five it was Atlanta who held the commanding three games to two lead however the Celtics who had won championships in 1981 1984 and 1986 had far too much experience for the young Hawks taking both gamees six and seven by two points while Spud was devastated to have once again fa failed just a single win away from the Eastern Conference Finals what was really starting to worry him was head coach Mike frell's apparent lack of trust because Webb had only played 23 minutes combined in their final two matchups a trend that unfortunately continued into the 1988 1989 season because Atlanta after acquiring three-time NBA MVP and 1983 Champion Moses Malone would yet again win 50 plus games but but despite bolstering their roster the Hawks were dominated by the Milwaukee Bucks in just the first round a series that web would only play an average of 11 minutes in and only score 1. 6 points per game The only positive for Spud in the 1988 1989 season was the fact he received another chance to win the dunk contest Crown however this time he only managed to finish third the former Junior College star was becoming aware that perhaps his time in the NBA was in fact coming to a close unless something drastic were to change December 25th 1989 Doc Rivers would give his backup perhaps the best Christmas present he could have asked for an injury Rivers back issues had flared up once again meaning Spud would finally get another chance to be Atlanta's starting point guard as this Christmas night special came to a close where ped ran with the opportunity presented to him finishing the matchup with 26 points having pulled down six rebounds and thrown 12 assists a stat line which ultimately LED his Hawks to an 11.

W and it wasn't just this night where spot had succeeded you see in the 37 games Rivers was absent from Atlanta's lineup his backup had averaged 10. 8 points with two of those being from this mindblowing dunk where the short guard had thrown it down over 6'9 Tyrone Hill 6. 8 assists and 1.

2 steals per game Spud for the fourth time had shown that if given a chance he was a legit NBA player but while Rivers absence had given his tiny replacement the chance he was waiting for without dark Atlanta's record had fallen to a poor 41 and 41 a win- loss record which resulted in the Hawks failing to enter the postseason and this wasn't all because coach forell the man who had given SPID a chance to prove himself in the big Leakes was fired after their failure to make the playoffs while web was devastated to Lose the person who helped him achieve his greatest dream New Atlanta head coach Bob Weiss would make a dramatic change because the 1986 dunk champ became a full-time starter for the 1990 1991 season Webb now averaged 29. 3 minutes per game allowing him to score career highs in points first 30 against the Chicago blls and then 32 a few nights later against the Denver Nuggets alongside his incredible scoring outbursts the former JV player would also rack up six games with at least 10 assists including a 24. 14 assist night against the Seattle SuperSonics thanks to the now 27-year-old's dominant play Atlanta had found themselves back in the playoffs Spud was set to once again face the team who didn't believe that he was an NBA level athlete as the Hawks first round matchup against the Detroit Pistons progressed their starting point guard showcased not only his insane athleticism but another skill he also possessed because his vertical which allowed him to dunk all over people also meant Spud could leap above taller Defenders and shoot over them with ease during their five games against Detroit Webb would average 13.

2 points on 43% shooting throw 4. 8 assists and get 1. 4 steals per game however the Pistons hungry to be the first team to win three NBA championships in a row since the 1966 Celtics would ultimately defeat Atlanta three games to two once again Spud was crushed yet this season thanks to coach Weiss the undersized athlete had shown to the NBA world that he was capable of being a true starting point guard and in fact he wasn't just a short dunker no web was ready to take his Hawks all the way to a championship ring but Atlanta's general manager Pete Babcock would shockingly trade both Doc Rivers and Spud whip before the 1991 1992 season began Rivers was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers and web was moved to the Sacramento Kings the now ex Hawk was devastated upset that he never got a chance to repay the franchise for the incredible risk they had taken in signing a 5'7 player yet his new situation in Sacramento meant that Webb was never going to have to fight for a starting role again no the Kings had bought in the undersized dunker to lead them to new heights November 1st 1991 in the former Junior College standouts first night wearing purple and black Spud would impress Sacramento fans and prove the trade their general manager made was genius because Webb would score a team High 27 points whilst also throwing eight assists and grabbing six boards but this was just the start as in his second season as a full-time starter Spud would have career highs in almost every category the former Hawk would average 16 points 7.

1 assists and 1. 6 steals per game averages that were made up from 21 games with 20 or more points as well as 17 knights with at least 10 assists plus 5 13 assist performances but the king's 1991 1992 campaign can be summed up with their second game That season because the Golden State Warriors would demolish the visiting Sacramento Kings by an embarrassing 602 points due to their horrible play that year head coach dick ma was fired just 25 games in and Rex Hughes was bought in to replace him while the Kings had hoped this coaching change would fix their woeful beginning Sacramento would ultimately in the season with a terrible 29 and 53 record thanks to this horrific result Sacramento's general manager Jerry Reynolds would once again fire his head coach and hire Gary St genene for the 1992 1993 season as web sophomore year with Sacramento progressed in spite of all the dramas that surrounded his team Spud would continue to shine against the team who had destroyed them a year ago the former Hawk would score a new career high of 34 points an insane achievement for an NBA player who stood at only 5'7 tall and despite nearing his 30s web was still flying high however while Spud still being able to slam the ball in was impressive the Kings Still struggled the moves made by Reynolds had failed to pay off as the Kings would finish with an even worse 25- win season and it became clear to web that no matter what he did it would never be enough to save this failing franchise because as the 1993 1994 season came to a close in spite of their starting point guard having 12 10 or more assist nights and recording two 32-point games against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers the Kings still faulted while they did slightly improve their record to 28 wins Sacramento was realizing they needed to go in another direction if they were going to turn their organization around so management flirted with the prospect of trading Spud to the Orlando Magic and while this deal never came to fruition we began to understand that his time with the Kings was nearing its end as once the 1994 1995 season rounded out a year in which Spud's numbers declined heavily the Kings finally made a move Spud Webb was traded back to where his NBA career began however despite returning to what felt like home web's decline continued at 32 years old the speed quickness and leaping ability he relied upon to dominate was fading and now that he could no longer create for others with his pace Atlanta found no use for their former starter so the ex Dunk champ was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves while the Wolves would utilize the 5'7 guard much like the Kings did with web starting 21 of his 26 games his 9. 4 Point 5.