The world’s most breath-taking artists usually ply their craft in the form of paintings, ice sculptures or rhythmic gymnastics.
But an equally thought-provoking visual experience we take for granted every day is the NBA slam dunk.
“Dunking on somebody, I think that’s fun,” Ben McLemore told Cowbell Kingdom. “I think it excites the crowd and teammates, it brings a lot of energy.”
A jam that is caught on television requires a perfect storm of circumstances. Footwork, length, athleticism, a path to the hoop and a little bravery. A step slow to the rim, and your dunk is blocked into the stands, or worse, your butt is sent crashing down onto the hardwood floor or into the crowded front row.
Dunking in traffic is not for the faint of heart. To do it successfully, with a sprinkle of style, is a feat reserved for the league’s strongest, quickest, most light-footed and reckless individuals.
Dunking has never been associated with the Sacramento Kings. The golden era Kings squads with Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac and company were more known for their flashy assists than thunderous throw downs. Slam Dunk contest participants for the Sacramento franchise have also been few and far between. Preceding McLemore’s cameo last season was Gerald Wallace in the 2002 competition, and before him was Kenny Smith in 1990.
The playoff-perennial Kings only cracked the league’s top 10 in total dunks once. The fateful 2001-02 season, when the team ranked seventh and were led by Webber’s 77 slams, followed by Doug Christie’s (60) and Vlade Divac’s (40).
In the past decade, wins and dunks have been hard to come by, but the page is finally turning. Sacramento’s roster has been reassembled to feature more leapers, which in turn helped the Kings place ninth in the NBA in total dunks last season (338). Players around the league have taken notice.
“Last year (when I was) with the Clippers, Ben had one,” Ryan Hollins recalled to Cowbell Kingdom. “It was a fast break or something, like ‘whoa.’ Who is that kid? That definitely stood out. I remember Derrick (Williams), his first game getting traded here, I think he had like seven hops in a row. Like backdoor and then he just started getting freaky with it. Reversed a few, and it was like, ‘Ok this dude is a freaky athlete.’”
Hollins, a seven-foot center who signed with the Kings in September, can slam the ball with authority as well.
“(Ramon) Sessions gave me a pass when when we were (both) in Minnesota, and I went off on one leg, hit Andray Blatche and kind of went higher, I think that’s the nastiest I can think of in my NBA career,” Hollins said.
He’s now a part of a 14-man Kings roster, which uniquely, every player can dunk. The only men who haven’t recorded a dunk this season are Ray McCallum and Eric Moreland. But both are respected dunkers by their teammates who have seen limited minutes this season.
Through 26 regular season games, the Kings rank 10th in the league in total dunks. It’s an impressive feat considering the absence of DeMarcus Cousins for 10 games, who has 15 dunks. McLemore and Rudy Gay are tied for the team lead with 17 apiece, while Derrick Williams has 15. Jason Thompson and Ryan Hollins both have 10 as well.
Statistics are one thing, but skill and appreciation are another. The Dunk Contest runner-up, and the Kings’ most-seasoned slammer offered their humble opinions to Cowbell Kingdom on the Sacramento dunking hierarchy.
“I would say me at No. 1,” McLemore proclaimed. “Then I’ll say Rudy, D-Will…Darren (Collison) kind of got some sneaky finger dunks, but I’m gonna say Nik (Stauskas) too. Nik got some sneaky dunks, and Ray. So Nik, Ray, me, Rudy, D-Will.”
“I guess Ben was most recently in the dunk contest, so I’m going to have to give Ben the No. 1, we kind of rely on him to close it out,” Hollins declared. “Give D-Will No. 2, he was also in the dunk contest. Give Rudy No. 3, (because) he’s sneaky, and to get show dunks in the game, you don’t know how tough that is playing a lot of minutes, and he gets up. Give myself No. 4. And No. 5 would be Ray. Ooh. Ray’s real athletic. He’s sneaky. He’s done some dunks that’s turned my head.”
In support of the rankings, here’s what McLemore, McCallum and Stauskas had to say.
“I don’t have too many fancy dunks, I like to just do some creative dunks,” McLemore noted. “A lot of tomahawks, two-hand slams, whatever. Anything that can get me two points. In normal life I try to be more creative, but in-game dunking, I try to just stick to the basics.” (Wisely so.)
“I got some stuff,” McCallum said with a smirk. “In high school I was in the McDonald’s All-American dunk contest and I got second place. I got between the legs, windmill, 360. There’s a couple of dunks I can’t do. I got some stuff though in my bag in tricks.”
“I can do between the legs,” Stauskas humbly stated.
Despite the impressiveness of a dunk, there are countless critics who argue that a slam is still worth two points, and no better than a layup. Only today would a King come to its defense.
“It’s a huge impact with the crowd and your teammates. It’s a momentum changer,” Hollins argued. “The NBA is a game of runs, and a dunk can definitely swing momentum to your favor. Being an intimidating force the next time you go in. Get fouled, get some free throws. There’s always that threat of a guy finishing above the rim. So it’s definitely more than two points, and it can be kind of an energizer.”
The impact of an alley-oop slam or double-clutch throw down is widely noticed in Sleep Train Arena. Fans in Sacramento should expect to see more spectacular finishes in the future, as slam dunks become a signature of the Kings’ identity.
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