“Genoom and dwarf.” The amazing story of the shorter winner in the NBA DUNK competition

Anthony Jerome Web, known as Spud Webb, is the shorter winner in the history of the American Professional League.

The 170 cm star won the first shooting competition in 1986, surprising the world of basketball.

Web was born to a poor family and wanted to merge with people with the help of basketball. The man was always less than his peers, but this did not repel the desire to exercise his favorite sport. Webb used the ability to speed and jump to overcome other children, and later adults. Along the way, I did not bear the most pleasant phrases of others like “Hello, Short”, “Not Long Grand”, “You are just a dwarf.” Etc.

The beginning of the road

During his performance in the National Association of University Sports at North Carolina University, the average web reached 10.4 points and 5.7 decisive passes in each game and compete regularly in the upper correction. Web horizons were considered before the US Professional League draft in 1985 disappointing. It was expected that the smaller man would not be chosen and would go to performance in Europe. The option was not excluded with the transition to the “Harlem Globtrotters” exhibition team, but it was not played at a high level in the American Professional League. The small basketball player was chosen under selection No. 87 by Detroit Bestone, after which he ended up in Atlanta Hoks.

Web in the American Professional League

Web in the American Professional League, despite all doubts. He played 13 league seasons with an average of 9.9 points, 5.3 decisive passes and 2.1 Ribon, and ended his career in 1998 at the age of 35. In addition to Atlanta, spood played with Sadmanto Kings, Minnesota Tambrolvs and Orlando Magic. His best years came with the kings, when the point goalkeeper struck average of two numbers for four consecutive seasons (a maximum of 16.0 points in 1991/1992) and achieved more than 30 points several times. Web’s success paved the way for a number of smaller players in the American Professional League. In particular, in 1987, Mugsy Boggs was chosen 160 cm for the project. In 1998, Earl Bokens, which is 165 cm length, entered the league. They are the only players in basketball in the history of the American Professional League, which are under Webb Spud. But in the league often, other “children” began to appear at a height between 170 and 180 cm, which could be attributed to the “web effect”

Dunk competition

What distinguishes Spada Webb from every short NBA (basketball players under the age of 6 or 183 cm fall under this term)? Of course winning the Donk competition. Through the truth of participating in the competition, web doing something unimaginable, which is the infringement of the feudal giants. He felt there as a short man between the giants. A web competitor to win the Donk competition in 1986 was the legendary of Hox Fellow Dominic Wilkins 201 centimeters. Web Wilkins told he did not prepare to compete at all. I intentionally mislead the legend. In the competition, we web dipped – one hand and two, with a 360 -degree rotation, dipped in the opposite direction, and knocked on the top of the wall of the back plate.

“Web Dominic deceived somewhat. Wilkins told him he did not train at all. Wellkins thought that the standard group who dipped from his arsenal would be sufficient for him to win,” said Tanta coach Mike Fratilo.

Dominic was wrong. In the previous Donk competition, legendary Wilkins Michael Jordan and Julius Erfing defeated, but in 1986 he was forced to fall in front of his teammate 170 cm long.

The happiest fans with bright moments in the American Professional League matches. Web weight was only 60 kilograms, but at the same time its vertical jump reached 127 cm, and it is not surprising that the web scored a point even through the tallest player in the history of the American Professional League, 231 cm Manot Paula, which was half a meter longer (61 cm if to be more accurate). The extreme ability to jump and low weight of SPud allowed wonders to make wonders.

Web and Nate Robinson

Web continued to influence the upgrade of the smaller players after its retirement. Twenty years after his victory in the Donk competition, he trained 175 cm Nate Robinson, who finally won the competition three times (2006, 2009, 2010). Weib himself achieved a prominent achievement in the twentieth century, and later had a hand in another achievement in the twenty -first century. Spud Webb and Nate Robinson are the only basketball players who are short of six feet in the history of the American Professional League to win the Donk competition.

The American Professional League praised a web grade. In 2010, he was a judge in the Dallas Dunk competition. In this city, the competition was held for the first time since 1986, when Spudd won. Web is currently the Texas Legends basketball team, Dallas Marax GG League. By the way, web has not forgotten how to score from above, even in such a great age, and sometimes it gives a master’s degree in dipping to younger players.