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Anthony Jerome "Spud" Webb (born July 13 1963 in Dallas, Texas) is an American former NBA basketball player. Officially listed at 5'7" (170 cm), he is the shortest player in NBA history to have won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest (1986).
Career
Webb did not play on his school team at Wilmer Hutchins High School until his senior year because "the coaches were giving the guys who were seniors the chance to play." However, he did learn to dunk during the summer before his senior year, when he was only 4'11".
After graduating in high school, he was not recruited by most colleges, mainly due to his size. Finally he attended Midland Junior College (in Midland, Texas) where he led his team to the junior college national title in 1982.
Webb attracted the attention of Tom Abatemarco, an assistant coach at North Carolina State University, who arranged for Webb to meet head coach Jim Valvano, who offered Webb a scholarship. In two years at N.C. State, Spud averaged 10.4 points and 5.7 assists per game.
He played most of his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, but also had stints with the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic. He retired from basketball in 1998. He averaged 9.9 points per game in 12 seasons.
Webb lives in Dallas, where he appears on pre-game and post-game shows for the Dallas Mavericks on a local TV station.
Webb is tied with Greg Grant and Keith Jennings as the third-shortest players in NBA history. Only Earl Boykins (5'5") and Muggsy Bogues (5'3") are shorter.
1986 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest
Webb, the shortest person to compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, won the event in 1986. His participation surprised teammate and defending dunk champion Dominique Wilkins, who had "never seen me dunk before," Webb said. His dunks included the elevator two-handed double pump dunk, the one-handed off the backboard one-handed jam, a 360-degree helicopter one-handed dunk, a 180-degree reverse double-pump slam, and finally, the 180-degree reverse two-handed jam from a lob bounce off the floor. He beat Wilkins with two perfect 50-point scores in the final round. Atlanta coach Mike Fratello said, "Spud kind of duped him. He told Nique he never had anything prepared, didn't practice for it. So, Nique maybe thought his normal assortment would be good enough to get through." (The Spud Webb Story)
Trivia
- Twenty years after Webb's victory in the Slam Dunk contest, he helped New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson win the event. Webb tossed the ball to Robinson, who leaped over Webb and dunked, earning 50 points. Robinson went on to victory, making him the first player under six feet to win since Webb.
- "Spud" is a shortened form of "Sputnik", a nickname given to Webb as a baby by his grandmother.
Notes
- Russ Bengtson, "Slam" magazine
External links
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