Kobe Bryant Rewind: The Slam Dunk Contests

Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for the Hoopdoctors, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven .

We here at The Hoop Doctors are big fans of Kobe Bryant’s game. He is the total package: elite scorer, supreme defender, and proven winner. The NBA’s current overall best player in the game. Although he has nothing left to prove, his drive and desire to succeed is among the league’s best. In this new, multi-part series we will take a look back at some hidden gems caught on video showcasing some of the “Black Mama’s” biggest and best moments in his HS and NBA career.

Part Two – Slam Dunk Contests

Even at a young age, Kobe was a showman. He regularly participated in high school dunk contests, most notably at the annual McDonalds All American Games. Kobe displayed his usual combination of power, style, and finesse. Even though it is a common dunk today, JR Rider(‘94), Kobe(‘96 in HS), and Vince Carter(‘98 in HS), were some of the first players to introduce regularly taking the ball between their legs on a dunk.

In the first video, Kobe holds his own competing in the 1996 McDonalds All American Dunk Contest against Lester Earl who went to LSU/Kansas, Tim Thomas of Villanova, and Corey Benjamin of Oregon State. Kobe finished third, behind the winner, Earl and 2nd place Benjamin. Kobe also competed in the ‘95 McDonalds Contest and tied with Earl, with both as co-winners. In case you are wondering, Lester Earl suffered some serious knee injuries and played most of his career in Europe.

In the second video, Kobe shows his skills in winning the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Title. Although Kobe was clearly the best, it was definitely a weak field with the likes of Chris Carr, Michael Finley, Darvin Ham, Ray Allen, and Bob Sura as competition. I think Kobe would have destroyed the two previous dunk champions, Harold Miner(‘95) and Brent Barry(‘96). Unfortunately the Slam Dunk Contest wasn’t held between ‘98-’00, so Kobe couldn’t defend his title. It would have been awesome if returned and he competed against Vince Carter, the 2000 winner.