A slam dunk, also dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball (s) above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by putting the ball directly through the basket with one or both hands. It is considered a type of field goal; if successful, it is worth two points. Such a shot was known as a "dunk shot" until the term "slam dunk" was coined by former Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn.
The slam dunk is usually the highest percentage shot. Moreover, it is a crowd -pleaser. Thus, the maneuver is often extracted from the basketball game and showcased in slam dunk contests such as the NBA Slam Dunk Contest held during the annual NBA All- Star Weekend. The first incarnation of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest was held during the half- time of the 1976 American Basketball Association All- Star Game.
Dunking was banned in the NCAA from 1967 to 1976. Many people have attributed this to the dominance of the then- college phenomenon Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar); the no-dunking rule is sometimes referred to as the "Lew Alcindor rule." Many other have also attributed the ban as having racial motivations, as at the time most of the prominent dunkers in college basketball were African-American, and the ban took place less than a year after an [Texas Western team beat all- white Kentucky team in the National Championship.] [4]
The phrase "slam dunk" has entered popular usage in American English outside of its basketball meaning, to refer to a "sure thing": an action with a guaranteed outcome, or a similarly impressive achievement. This is related to the high probability of success for a slam dunk versus other types of shots.
