Video, We Reminisce / Nov 15, 2011 / 5:00 pm

We Reminisce: MJ Vs. Dominique In The 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

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Back when life was simpler, there was no lockout and people actually cared about the dunk contest. Some still say Dominique Wilkins should’ve beaten Michael Jordan on this night.

Should Dominique have won this?

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  • north

    Brent Barry dunked from farther… and with a warm-up jacket on. Does that mean he would have won this competition?
    It’s insane how high ‘Nique got in two steps. I wish I had those hops.

  • JBaller

    I remeber watching this at a friend’s house. We were going bananas.

  • http://www.psychodrama.com Chicagorilla

    If you watch the entire dunk contest, Nique repeated his dunks several times. Not only that, but he repeated dunks that were done already by other contestants. It’s irks that $h!t outta me when people try to claim MJ only won because he was in Chicago.
    Not only did Nique repeat dunks in the same contest, but he was still using dunks that he did from every other dunk contest the previous 4 years.

    Also, Clyde Drexler was probably the most annoying. He was dunking right behind MJ and he literally would do the exact same dunk MJ did, but uglier, then complain that he didn’t get a higher score.

  • Nehemiah

    Nique and Jordan did their same repitoire of dunks. Jordan even did the freethrow dunk twice and got high scored both times. Nique took it in the finals though. His dunks were just nastier but he got robbed. That first dunk off the backboard with the catch and jam from straight away was nuts because how high and far he got off the two foot takeoff. It was CRAZY. Jordan shouldn’t have won that…

  • nige

    The off the glass dunk is one of the al time greats. the height and distance he achieves off 2 feet is non-sensical. he catches it with 2 and then realises he’s too far so has to jam it with one, all the time remianing at head height to the rim. CRAZY!!!

  • http://dimemag.com bullet380

    I remember watching it. I taped it! Years later I watched it again and I STILL think Nique was robbed. Jordan won simply because All Star Weekend was in Chicago. Nique wasn’t the only one repeating dunks. Jordan did that “lean to the side” dunk on the baseline THREE TIMES. No way his last dunk (which he did in the first round) was better than Nique’s last dunk.

  • http://www.zwani.com/graphics/funny_pictures/images/88funny-pictures128.jpg JAY

    @north
    Distance doesn’t matter. Brent Barry went up and dunked it from the free-throw line.

    Jordan may have taken off a couple inches closer but he consciously posed in mid-air. Those posters we have of MJ with his legs kicked back, the ball cupped in his right hand by his ear, and his left arm trailing slightly behind him was because he posed. Barry didn’t have any time, or ‘air’ to pose. Compare Barry’s to MJ…. Barry’s was basic.

    MJ’s was…….
    http://www.athousandandone.com/photos/0/448a08da9fcd1_s.jpg

    But I guess if someone wants to give more points just for distance, then to each his own. MJ’s version can’t be duplicated. That was his own flair.

  • http://www.psychodrama.com Chicagorilla

    The messed up thing is none of these guys would win a current dunk contest with these dunks lol.

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