Video: The superman dunk
posted at 9:35 am on February 18, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Not that impressive the first time you see it, increasingly impressive with each additional viewing. How’d Dwight Howard get that high? He’s Superman, baby — and also 6′11. Is this dunk actually a miscalculation, though? It looks like he was going for a Jordanesque takeoff near the free throw line for a conventional dunk, then realized he wasn’t going to make it to the hoop and threw (literally) caution to the wind.
The freakiest part? This might not have been the sweetest dunk of the contest. Good lord.
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That non dunk was weak as was the competition. It was a farce. The only really good dunk was tossing it up behind the backboard and dunking on the otherside. It was a parody.
tomas on February 18, 2008 at 9:38 AM
Had to stop the second one. The music was annoying! I guess I coulda turned down my speakers, but I got the idea.
I like the cape idea. Too bad he didn’t have the ups to make it to the bucket.
Ordinary1 on February 18, 2008 at 9:44 AM
They need to raise the rim and actually make dunking a challenge again.
I hate what the NBA has become.
ChartreuseDragon on February 18, 2008 at 9:47 AM
Ah, thankfully the player has a MUTE BUTTON for that second one.
Sir Loin on February 18, 2008 at 9:53 AM
Well heck, it’s skills like this that make us win the gold in the Olympics every time.
trubble on February 18, 2008 at 9:54 AM
6′11″?? That guy’s a freak! He doesn’t even have to jump to dunk..
amkun on February 18, 2008 at 9:55 AM
What are the lyrics to that song? They are going to be with me for a long time. Like a strain of incurable typhoid.
al sends
afterdarknesslight on February 18, 2008 at 9:55 AM
The music on the second one was horrible.
The first video was pretty sweet, though.
MadisonConservative on February 18, 2008 at 10:01 AM
Exit question: Where did all the class go in the NBA?
pecan pie on February 18, 2008 at 10:04 AM
neat dunk————horrible music
SCGOPgirl on February 18, 2008 at 10:07 AM
But can they play defense?
chinotex on February 18, 2008 at 10:07 AM
The last guy that impressed me at the Slam Dunk Contest was Spud Webb of the Atlanta Hawks (1986). Talk about a Superman, at only 5′7″ he could dunk two-handed.
So, the 6′11″ Howard can dunk with a cape on his back? Whoop-dee-doo! Now if he could jump through the hoop with the basketball in his hands, I might be impressed.
The Slam Dunk Contest has turned into a circus act. I’d rather see a four-shot contest; layup, foul shot, three-pointer and half court. First to make all four shots in succession wins.
fogw on February 18, 2008 at 10:09 AM
I’d be more impressed if he could make a medium range jump shot.
Mike Honcho on February 18, 2008 at 10:13 AM
Dudes, those dunks were absolutely S-I-C-K. The superman one was probably not the best one. But blowing out a candle right before you dunk the ball? This means his MOUTH (not the top of his head) was 10 feet in the air. . . BEFORE he dunked.
The one where he bounced the ball off the backboard after he jumped up with one hand and dunked it with the other was amazing too. The back of the backboard dunk was great as well.
As for the music, you whitebreads don’t know the street. The music is about rhythm and flow – two characteristics not known in the white community so much.
The NBA has gotten bad in the post-Jordan years because of the one-on-one nature the game had become. But it is getting increasingly better. I swore off of it (except the playoffs obviously) for a long time. But if you want to see the game the way it’s supposed to be played again, just watch Chris Paul. He can’t dunk like these guys (he can dunk though). He’s only 6′ tall, but he doesn’t have any tattoos and he does amazing things with the ball (dribbling, scoring, and passing to his team mates in positions where they have to score).
Basketball is beautiful.
ThackerAgency on February 18, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Basketball itself is great. What the people in the NBA play stinks: five individuals against five other individuals. College basketball is still fairly untainted and exciting.
ChartreuseDragon on February 18, 2008 at 10:21 AM
That was the stupidest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Who the crap is Dwight Howard? Has he been checked for chromosome damage? I had some neighbors whose kids wore capes and pretended to be Superman, but they all grew out of that phase by age 8. The only adult I’ve ever met who thought he was Superman took a leap off a 12 story building to show his critics (parents, friends) he could fly. Fortunately for him a tree broke his fall.
I think we should be concerned about his mental health.
Wingo on February 18, 2008 at 10:24 AM
Wasn’t Chris Paul the guy who purposely stomped on an opponent’s head when he was playing in college?
fogw on February 18, 2008 at 10:27 AM
NO fogw
ThackerAgency on February 18, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Jordan still the best at dunking!
Clyde Drexler pretty good too. .:}
Chakra Hammer on February 18, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Niiice. I still like JOSH SMITH and his winning dunk from three years ago…
JetBoy on February 18, 2008 at 10:31 AM
He’s the guy who paid tribute to his just murdered grandfather by scoring 61 points in High School (one point for every year of his grandfather’s life) purposely. He missed a freethrow at the end of the game so he could end on 61.
He also set up a foundation in memory of his dead pastor grandfather.
If you don’t know, you betta ask somebody.
ThackerAgency on February 18, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Dominique Wilkins not bad either.
Chakra Hammer on February 18, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Saw most of those dunks, including the first one, in the ‘65-’68 seasons of St. Benedict’s College performed by one man, named Darryl Jones.
Props to you Darryl, wherever you are.
Sasnak on February 18, 2008 at 10:41 AM
How Many 6′11″ guys do you know with a 40″ vertical???? He was impressive…. If you didn’t like it you always had the option to use your free speech and change the channel.
appst38 on February 18, 2008 at 10:41 AM
No kidding. Howard is not only a great player, he’s a great person. And that dunk was sweet.
Darin on February 18, 2008 at 10:42 AM
I have nothing against rhythm and flow. That song IS annoying!
Someone mentioned Clyde Drexler. The Blazers of old. Fun to watch especially ’cause they won so much… except Championships :-( ‘77 Blazers were awesome without the dunking so much. There was a TEAM!
Ordinary1 on February 18, 2008 at 10:42 AM
I remembered Paul was involved in some nasty incident while in college. Thought it was the head stomping, but after a little googling I found out I was wrong on that one.
Turns out he was caught on camera giving a “low-blow” to the onions of another player while playing at Wake Forest. That’s a cheap playground trick that had no place in college basketball. Paul was suspended one game for his misconduct.
fogw on February 18, 2008 at 10:51 AM
I can’t stand basketball.
I got a big kick out of those videos, and I thought the music added to the fun. I don’t much care for that type of music, either.
I’d have watched that contest on TV if I’d known it was that much fun. I laughed out loud at the cupcake and candle-blowout dunk.
Meryl Yourish on February 18, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Michael Jordan
1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year
9x NBA All-Defensive Team selection
——–
Jordan did it all.
Best ever.
Jordan along with Scottie was awesome
Scottie Pippen
8x NBA All-Defensive First Team selection
Scottie, good on defense, he could steal the ball like crazy!
Chakra Hammer on February 18, 2008 at 10:54 AM
he was suspended inappropriately. I don’t have to google it because I remembered it and watched the ENTIRE game. That guy that got the ‘low blow’ was also shot the next year in Colorado. He was a New York thug and who knows what was going on during that game.
But it was incidental contact during a game ie NOT INTENTIONAL. He should not have been reprimanded at all. I fault the coach for that. He was not suspended by any governing authority. He was sat down by his coach. And he should not have been.
Google on fogw. You are just another hater. After he wins 10 championships, this NON-INCIDENT will seem fairly small in comparison to the terrible things that lots of players and people are known for.
ThackerAgency on February 18, 2008 at 10:56 AM
dwight howard actually requested that they raise the rims to 12 feet for the competition, but it didn’t happen.
Looks like the pass may have been a bit off which is why he didn’t actually make it to the rim.
immersed on February 18, 2008 at 10:58 AM
They didn’t even call a foul during the game. It only appeared like he did something on super duper slow motion. . . and it was INCIDENTAL contact under the basket.
ThackerAgency on February 18, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Clyde Drexler
In 1989 he set a Portland record by dunking on an 11-foot-1 basket.
Chakra Hammer on February 18, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Wow, I’m whitebread because I don’t like a crappy song? I guess we whitebreads can’t appreciate the chocolate milk, huh?
LickyLicky on February 18, 2008 at 11:07 AM
10-foot rim seems a bit low..
For the NBA.
Chakra Hammer on February 18, 2008 at 11:07 AM
google ‘Julius Hodge shot’. . . that’s the ‘low blow victim’.
ThackerAgency on February 18, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Impressive stuff, but I prefer the demeanor of guys like Joe Dimaggio and Jim Brown.
Oh, and the song is about masturbating.
mikeyboss on February 18, 2008 at 11:10 AM
I’m a big college basketball fan, and I watched that game live on TV. There was nothing incidental about the punch Chris Paul landed in the other player’s crotch.
Apparently the university didn’t think it was incidental contact, or they wouldn’s have suspended him for one game. No governing authority? The University of Wake Forest suspended him. You know, the university he was attending.
I’m not a hater, I just like to see the game played by the rules. Dirty players can play on the playgrounds, but there is no place for them in college sports. If Chris Paul turned out to be an OK fella, that’s fine by me. Maybe the incident taught him a valuable lesson.
But don’t try and tell me it was incidental contact. If it had been I wouldn’t have remembered it from his playing days in college. It was a big deal at the time, ESPN did a story on it and the university suspended him.
Google that.
fogw on February 18, 2008 at 11:11 AM
I vote for the cupcake, pit-a-pat off the backboard, and the feed over the backboard and under the leg. Superman gets the award for best recovery from a mis-timed leap.
I’d didn’t watch the contest this year partly because my interest in the NBA has dwindled to almost zero, partly because the dunk contest was getting stale. Nice to see they are breaking out of the box and using props and other devices to bring some interest back. Maybe next year.
BTW, the best dunk evah was the guy on the Raptors (I should know the name but it escapes me) who did a simple looking dunk and then hung onto the rim with his elbow. Meaning he got so high, he got his whole forearm into the hoop and hung there at the elbow. That is impressive.
Mallard T. Drake on February 18, 2008 at 11:13 AM
I thought Green’s dunks looked better. Everyone thought Howard got robbed last year, though, so he was pretty much going to win as longs as he got everything down (which he kind of didn’t). It just doesn’t look as impressive when the big guys dunk, fair or not. It’s crazy. Howard leapt off two feet from near the free-throw line, missed the rim by maybe a few inches, and I was thinking, “meh.” Heh. He’s amazing, he really is.
The bounce off the back of the backboard looked so much more amazing when Iggy did it, too. It’s too bad they wouldn’t let Howard put the hoop at 12-feet just to see what he could do. It would have looked a lot more impressive.
RightOFLeft on February 18, 2008 at 11:13 AM
If they want to impress me shoot 15 foot jump shots and make 80% of your free throws. The traveling, double dribble, and playground crap shouldn’t be part of the professional game. It is a shame they don’t teach the fundamentals anymore, it is called a free throw for a reason.
deadbackpacker on February 18, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Oh and by the way, thats what happens when you whore your sport out to the TV networks. It has to be showy or no one will watch, at least that is the networks theory.
deadbackpacker on February 18, 2008 at 11:32 AM
I’m a whole grain bread kinda guy, and, uh…that music still sucked.
Alden Pyle on February 18, 2008 at 11:38 AM
A dunk is just showboating. Let’s revise the points for scoring and call any shot where the shooter’s hands touch the rim only worth one point.
rbb on February 18, 2008 at 11:40 AM
It’s good to see someone knows basketball.
I thought that was the best of the night but he didn;t have the superman outfit on. :/
And again you speak of my man CP3, Chris Paul # 3, He is awesome to watch every other night or so, and he looked petty damn good in the All Star Game. I agree with you,
Basketball is Beautiful.
abinitioadinfinitum on February 18, 2008 at 11:50 AM
And bring back the set-shot! And granny-style free throws! lol. Dunks actually do serve a purpose in the game. For one thing, they’re a lot easier to hit than a layup (assuming you can get up there). It’s intimidating on some instinctive level, and it gets the crowd behind your team, too. Walton is always saying, “throw it down, big man,” for a reason.
I kinda agree with you, but it’s not like there was ever a time in the league when everybody shot 80% from the line. I think I saw a study that showed free-throw shooting is actually better now than it ever has been. There are certain guys that just won’t ever be good free-throw shooters. It’s harder than it looks. You can only practice the shot so much before you’re just wasting time that you should be spending developing other parts of your game.
There are certain guys that are good shooters and obviously just don’t want to take the time to practice the free-throw, too. Not naming names *cough* Lebron.
RightOFLeft on February 18, 2008 at 12:01 PM
oops, second blockquote was deadbackpacker on February 18, 2008 at 11:30 AM
RightOFLeft on February 18, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Yup, the rebound from behind the glass had to be the most difficult by far.
Grafted on February 18, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Vince Carter
elbow hang at 1:50
abinitioadinfinitum on February 18, 2008 at 12:14 PM
Yawn.
D2Boston on February 18, 2008 at 12:14 PM
I’ve never been embarrassed reading postings on this site until some of you player haters commented on basketball. No, really, it’s okay to avoid comment on things you know nothing about. Smack McCain around some more… okay?
Oh, and Howard did not intend to jump from the free throw line, as he placed a piece of tape down in front of it (which is where he did launch from.) Also, it’s more difficult to throw a ball with that velocity into the rim than dunk it. The Superman dunk got the most publicity because of the showmanship. The best dunk was his first one when he bounced the ball off of the back of the backboard, avoided decapitating himself, and dunked. The second best dunk was Green’s “birthday cake” dunk. And actually, Green got not near enough credit for doing a between his legs dunk, while wearing SOCKS. That dunk was winning competitions just a few years back and dude’s now doing it in socks! I’ve not been a slam dunk competition fan for some time, but these young dudes are making it worth watching again.
Sugar Land on February 18, 2008 at 12:17 PM
Like basketball, hate the music, demonstrably not white-bread.
baldilocks on February 18, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Nice throw, but no dunk.
- The Cat
MirCat on February 18, 2008 at 12:26 PM
YAWWWWWWN….
You mean they still play that game? From what I see they’ve prostituted the sport to something unrecognizable now.
CBarker on February 18, 2008 at 12:29 PM
Now these are a superman.
Click1 Click2
And how not to do it.
MirCat on February 18, 2008 at 12:33 PM
WTF is that garbage soundtrack on the second clip?
*weeps*
Midas on February 18, 2008 at 12:59 PM
I have no reason to believe that this competition, and every other professional outing involving orange inflatable spheroids, isn’t tainted by gambling, dirty officiating, or a combination of the two. That being said, congratulations on being the effect of growth hormones in meat and a slightly enlarged pituatary gland. But remember, the best teams in the NBA are succeeding as teams. Not as really good slam dunkers.
Spc Steve on February 18, 2008 at 1:00 PM
And here i was thinking the Hot Air commentators reserved their sporting hate to football (aka soccer). Color me (pleasantly) surprised.
/yup, i quite dislike basketball.
madne0 on February 18, 2008 at 1:05 PM
Whitebread?? That’s not even an insult. That’s just my race plus a food. I can do it too, black bean soup.
You stay out of this, Asian chicken platter!!
/Mike Birbiglia
MrJustice on February 18, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Yeah! Howz about all of 5′7″ Spud Webb! Classic!
“No my brother.” That music reeked of repetitious migraine inducing nonsense. It flowed as much as a clogged public toilet.
geckomon on February 18, 2008 at 1:19 PM
Best Dunk I ever saw was actually in a game. Semifinals of the NCAA, Clyde took it to the hole against Louisville. Their guy got there and set up to take the charge, Clyde jumped.over.top.of.him. Nothing I have seen since has matched it. The fact that he had to decide on the fly how to avoid the charge and do it in a crucial situation, beats all the practiced dunks I’ve seen since.
billhedrick on February 18, 2008 at 1:31 PM
Wow. This was probably one of the top 3 Dunk Contests ever, and everyone is hating on it. They were creative, original, and had extremely high levels of difficulty…but it’s not MJ or Dr. J so it’s just a gimmick, right? Relax, it’s supposed to be a gimmick, just appreciate how athletic they are and enjoy it!
OK_Nate on February 18, 2008 at 2:26 PM
Dwight Howard’s “Kiss the Rim” dunk…he should have done this one for his finale
OK_Nate on February 18, 2008 at 2:33 PM
Why do they always, always pick the world’s worst music for such videos?
Theophile on February 18, 2008 at 3:09 PM
‘Bout time they brought back the old rules, and outlaw the dunk. it is just a gimmick, and emphasizes being tall over being good at the game. Like several have mentioned above: can the play defense and can they hit at jumper from the top of the key? Not to mention the ability to make a free throw, which used to be a gimme point every time. Thanks for that, Shaq…
creekspecter on February 18, 2008 at 3:46 PM
Dwight Howard’s dunk was nice, but he took off at least a step inside the freethrow line and still didn’t reach the rim. The REAL superman dunk was Michael Jordan from the free throw line. He actually made it to the rim (with room to spare). Here’s the video of the real superman dunk.
cannonball on February 18, 2008 at 4:09 PM
no body stuffs it like Da Docta did…Clyde was close and Micheal of course.
Are steals part of defense? No mention of the all-time career leader in steals…referencing to how great Pippin was at stealing the ball…it was a little guy out of Utah.
oldernslower on February 18, 2008 at 4:20 PM
Lot’s of guys can take off from the free throw line…sheesh, even white boy extraordinaire Brent Berry did it to win a few years back. Howard wasn’t trying to take off from the free throw line…he put a piece of tape down about a foot in front of it that he jumped from…OFF OF 2 FEET! Ok, I’m done. :-)
OK_Nate on February 18, 2008 at 4:42 PM
For those that are not in the know, check this out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMycfdNdlKA
Zaire67 on February 18, 2008 at 6:13 PM
Oh puhleeese, The last thing I need is some ad hoc anthropologist laying away with some convoluted rationale for crap. Too bad your writing is devoid of the so-called rythm you think whitey can’t conjure.
And besides, soundtracking seven-and-a-half foot men dropping a ball 2 1/2 feet highter than the top of their heads is about as dumb as it gets–homie.
-T
The Therapist on February 18, 2008 at 8:27 PM
The problem with the Slam Dunk contest is that it’s all been done before – by athletes (Jordan, Johnson, et, al) who make these guys look like the playground show offs they truly are.
How many ways can you dunk a basketball? Jordan taking off from the charity stripe or Magic doing a 360 in mid air was original and thrilling. These guys are just pale imitators – and not very good ones at that.
rick moran on February 19, 2008 at 6:17 AM
A few things:
1)The Superman cape dunk was a non-dunk and shouldn’t have counted
2) the slam dunk contest is an exhibition of athletic ability not ‘in game’ skills, guys and girls. You can watch the 3-pt contest if you really need your jump shooting fix
3) FACT: the only people who hate on dunking can’t dunk themselves.
It’s ridiculous to suggest outlawing the dunk. Why on earth would someone lay up if they can dunk. It merely gives a higher percentage shot and anyone who’s played basketball more than once and actually could score now and then, knows that the game is all about getting the highest percentage shot possible. Ask any coach college or pro if they’d like every play their team runs (that isn’t at the end of the game down by 3) to result in a dunk and every last one of them will answer ‘yes’ it’s foolish to take a 15 ft jumper if you have a man open at the basket for a dunk. This is basketball 101 folks.
MannyT-vA on February 19, 2008 at 6:54 AM
The solution. Raise the net. HGH in Basketball players requires it to even up the score.
MSGTAS on February 19, 2008 at 8:22 AM
GO LAKERS!!!!
http://www.culturism.us
culturism on February 19, 2008 at 8:49 AM
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