Who Was The First Nba Player To Dunk?

In honor of the NBA’s All-Star weekend, let’s take a look back at one of the most iconic moments in basketball history: when Julius Erving, aka “Dr. J”, became the first player to dunk from the free throw line.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American former professional basketball player and the principal owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. His biography on the official NBA website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

His Airness

Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time. He was a 10-time NBA All-Star and won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. He was also the first player to ever dunk from the free throw line.

Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 17, 1963. He played basketball for his high school team and then went on to play for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After winning a national championship with the Tar Heels in 1982, Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA draft.

Jordan quickly became a superstar with the Bulls, leading the team to six NBA championships in the 1990s. He was named NBA MVP five times and was named to the All-Defensive First Team nine times. In 1996, he was named Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the only player in NBA history to win both that award and MVP in the same season.

In 1998, Jordan retired from basketball to pursue a career in baseball. He played for a minor league team for one season before returning to the Bulls in 1995. He retired from basketball again in 1999, but came back for two more seasons with the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003.

Michael Jordan is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time and his influence on basketball is still felt today.

The G.O.A.T

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American former professional basketball player who is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. His biography on the official NBA website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

Julius Erving

Dr. J was the first player in the modern era of basketball to make dunking the ball an integral part of his game. He was also one of the most prolific scorers of his time and is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.

Dr. J

Julius Erving, nicknamed “Dr. J”, was an American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and playing above the rim. He was the most outstanding player of his generation and is widely considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA) and was the best-known player in that league when it merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA) after nine seasons.

The Conquerer

Julius Erving was born in East Orange, New Jersey, on February 22, 1950. He was the sixth of seven children. His father, Julius Sr., was a respected small-businessman. His mother, Callie, was a domestic worker. The young Erving excelled at both basketball and track and field. He attended the University of Massachusetts (UMass) on a basketball scholarship. As a sophomore (second-year student), he led his team to the NCAA Division I Final Four—the first time a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) had done so. He graduated from UMass with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1973.

Erving began his professional career with the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA). He quickly became one of the league’s most exciting players with his high-flying acrobatic dunks and brilliant all-around play. In 1971–72, he was named Rookie of the Year after averaging 24 points per game. The following season, he led the ABA in scoring (27.3 points per game) and helped the Squires reach the ABA Finals, where they lost to the Indiana Pacers.

Erving joined the NBA’s New York Nets in 1976. He helped lead them to an NBA Championship in his first season with the team. The following year, he was named NBA MVP after averaging 28 points per game. Erving continued to excel throughout his productive 16-year NBA career. He retired in 1987 with over 30,000 career points (an average of 22 points per game). He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant was the first NBA player to dunk. He did it when he was just eighteen years old. He was playing against the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason game. He took off from the free throw line and dunked the ball.

The Black Mamba

Kobe Bryant, nicknamed the “Black Mamba”, was an American professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks fourth on both the league’s all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

The Legend

Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He was drafted into the NBA straight out of high school, and went on to have an incredible 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won five NBA championships, was named to the All-Star team 18 times, and was the league MVP in 2008.

Bryant was also a legendary dunker. He was the first player in NBA history to dunk from behind the backboard, and he regularly amazed fans with his acrobatic slam dunks.

Sadly, Bryant passed away in 2020 in a helicopter crash. He will be remembered as one of the greatest players in NBA history, and his legacy will live on through his millions of fans around the world.