1/9/15: Old School Jam of the Day - Terence Stansbury’s Statue of Liberty 360
Yesterday I realized I couldn’t remember who won last year’s Slam Dunk Contest (it was John Wall). There was a time I could easily name each of the past winners in sequence, but that ship has clearly sailed. While it’s still fun to tune in to All-Star Saturday Night, we’ve seen so many dunks, and the contest has been rebooted so many times, that it frankly feels stale.
Back in the 80’s, however, we were obsessed with the idea of going vertical. A generation removed from the moon landing, kids in the 80’s watched Dan Fouts and Dan Marino air it out on the football field, while Macho Man Randy Savage plunged from the top turnbuckles of the wrestling rings across the country onto opponents with his patented diving elbow drop.
Of course, Fouts and Marino’s exploits pale in comparison to modern records set by Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and Savage’s airborne trickery seems old hat as today’s wrestlers dive off of balconies and ladders onto one another. But back then, there wasn’t much of a precedent.
And so, we arrive at the 1985 Slam Dunk Contest. The NBA had revived the showcase the pervious year, with Phoenix swooper Larry Nance taking home the trophy. He returned to defend the crown in ’85, joined by Hall of Famers “Dr. J” Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins. Also featured were high flyers “Dr. Dunkenstein” Darrell Griffith and Orlando Woolridge. And with All-Star Weekend taking place at Indianapolis’ Market Square Arena, a last-minute replacement for Charles Barkley was unheralded Pacers rookie Terence Stansbury. Nobody knew it, but Stansbury possessed one of the most unique slams ever, the Statue of Liberty 360.
Stansbury’s whirling jam was more than enough to take out his opponent, Air Jordan himself. But typical of the David Stern NBA, the star player got a free pass and both competitors advanced to the next round. Jordan eventually wound up in the Finals, where he fell prey to the Human Highlight Film.
Stansbury returned for two more Slam Dunk Contests, never bringing home the trophy. A standout college player at Temple, the 6’5″ guard only lasted three years in the NBA before heading to Europe. Nevertheless, he goes down among the all-time greats of All-Star Weekend, a list populated not just by super-duperstars, but also guys like Craig Hodges, Trent Tucker and Kenny “Sky” Walker.
The Statue of Liberty 360 remains a unique, signature dunk from an exciting time, and a reminder of the glory days of dunk.
This post was originally published to TheDropStep.com on January 9, 2015.
