Spud Webb

Anthony Jerome Webb (born on July 13, 1963 in Dallas, Texas), better known as Spud Webb, is a retired American NBA professional basketball point guard. He is currently the President of Basketball Operations for the unnamed D-League franchise in Frisco, Texas.

Career

Early years

Webb was born into poverty. He was raised in a small three-bedroom home and used basketball as an inspiration. Webb was never tall, but he used his quickness and jumping ability to outplay the other kids. At Wilmer-Hutchins High School, ^[1] he played on the junior varsity team where he made a large impact. When he got on the varsity team, he averaged 26 points per game. During his senior season, when he first threw down a dunk, he was 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm) tall. After high school, he attended Midland College and North Carolina State University, where he averaged 10.4 points and 5.7 assists per game throughout college.^[2]

Midland College

Despite his impressive high school record, colleges showed little interest in Webb^[3]. Standing at 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall,^[4] he received his first opportunity to play on a college basketball team when he attended Midland College (in Midland, Texas), where he led the Chaparrals to the junior college national title in 1982. In the championship game, Midland defeated #1-ranked and previously unbeaten Miami-Dade North of Florida, 93-88, in double overtime. Webb led all scorers in that game with 36 points, making 10 of 15 shots from the floor and 16 of 18 from the free-throw line^[5]. His performance at the tournament earned Webb a write-up in Sports Illustrated, and national attention. In 1983, he was named an NJCAA All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

North Carolina State University

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.

NBA career (1985-1998)

Webb was then drafted in the 4th round of the 1985 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. His first six seasons were played with the Atlanta Hawks, but he had his best years statistically with the Sacramento Kings, where he played as a starter from 1992-1995. He then split a season between the Atlanta Hawks and the Minnesota Timberwolves before finishing his career after one season with the Orlando Magic and retiring from professional basketball in 1998. Webb played 814 career games, averaging 9.9 points per game, registering 8072 points and 4342 assists in twelve seasons.

Webb was, and remains the third shortest player to play in the NBA. Only Earl Boykins and Muggsy Bogues were shorter.

NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Webb, with a vertical leap of 42 inches, was the shortest person to compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He won the event in 1986. His participation surprised the media; including his 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 strawberry jam from a lob bounce off the floor. He defeated Wilkins with two perfect 150-point scores in the final round. Atlanta coach Mike Fratello said, "Spud kind of duped him. He told Wilkins he never had anything prepared, didn't practice for it. So, Wilkins maybe thought his normal assortment would be good enough to get through". Twenty years after Webb's victory in the Slam Dunk contest, he trained New York Knicks point guard Nate Robinson (who stands at 5 feet 9 inches tall) to win the event. Webb tossed the ball to Robinson, who leaped over Webb and dunked, earning 50 points from the judges. Robinson went on to win, making him and Spud the only two people in basketball history under six feet to win a slam dunk contest.

References

External links

• Spud Webb career statistics
• Spud Webb Official Website
• 2004 interview, "Catching Up with Spud Webb"
• Spud's college statistics
• Midland College Athletics Website