Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Vince Carter. These are names we generally associate the Slam Dunk Contest with. With this year’s competition lacking in star power, it is easy to forget that the contest was at one time the NBA’s main attraction. Not only are superstar players missing from the competition, but so are the players from the Pacific Northwest region. Of course with the Seattle Supersonics no longer being in the league, there will be less opportunity for players from this area to participate. However, many of the best contests involved both the Sonics and the Portland Trail Blazers.
The NBA introduced the competition to its league in 1984 and from the very beginning, there was a player from this region, Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers. With Larry Nance, Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins stealing the show, it was very easy to forget about Clyde Drexler. The Portland Trail Blazer’s star did have two solid dunks in the first round, but not enough to place him higher than 8th in the competition. Clyde once again participated and finished 8th in 1985. Although Clyde did not participate in 1986, the Northwest was not to be forgotten, as Portland once again had a participant. Small forward Jerome Kersey performed admirably, as he finished 5th and just missed the semifinals by a dunk-off with Terence Stansbury.
Perhaps the most memorable year for the Pacific Northwest was 1987, as not only were the all-star festivities taking place in Seattle but four of the eight participants were from Seattle and Portland. Michael Jordan may have won the event, but 2nd through 4th all went to the I-5 corridor. Jerome Kersey and Clyde Drexler finished 2nd and 4th respectively and Terence Stansbury and Tom Chambers from the Supersonics finished 3rd and 7th respectively. Portland Trail Blazers continued to dazzle the next two seasons, as both Clyde and Jerome were still participating. Clyde Drexler even finished in the top 3 in both 1988 and 1989.
The 1990’s began with only one player competing in the event from 1990 to 1992, Shawn Kemp of the Seattle Supersonics. Kemp used this event to create his brand and finished 2nd in 1991. By the mid 90’s it was clear to see that the event was starting to lose its luster, and 1994 would be the last season during the 90’s that the Northwest would send a player to the event. This year would also be the last time ever that both Seattle and Portland would have a player represent the region together. Shawn Kemp finished 3rd in the event and James Robinson placed 6th.
The slam dunk returned to the NBA with a bang in 2000, as Vince Young dazzled fans all over the world. The Northwest also returned to the competition the following year, as Desmond Mason from the Sonics became the first ever slam dunk champion representing this region. Mason performed quite well the next two seasons finishing 3rd in 2002 and 2nd in 2003. At this point the event was once again losing its appeal and players were not as intrigued to participate. It took six years for our great region to have another participant, Rudy Fernandez.
As there is no longer a team in Seattle and the lack of participants from Portland, it is easy to forget how influential the Pacific Northwest was to the Slam Dunk Competition. Clyde Drexler, an NBA Hall of Famer, helped build the event since its inception. Jerome Kersey and Terence Stansbury made names for themselves with this event. Tom Chambers showed how versatile he was by competing and Shawn Kemp became one of the more popular players during the 1990’s because of this event. Desmond Mason gave Seattle one last thing to celebrate about before the unthinkable and Rudy Fernandez showed the world that foreign players are not only just shooters but players that can play above the rim. Even though the Northwest teams were only able to have one player win the event, it is clear to see that this event wouldn’t be what it is without Seattle and Portland.
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