Скачать или смотреть Larry McNeil (Runner-Up) - 1977 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Contrary to popular belief, Phoenix Suns forward Larry Nance is not the NBA's first ever slam dunk champion. That title belongs to former Indiana Pacers forward Darnell Hillman (aka Dr. Dunk). During the 1976-77 season, the NBA held a season-long dunk contest featuring one dunker from each NBA team duking it out in regional dunk battles for the right to nab the $15,000 top prize.

In his final round matchup, Hillman had to outlast Golden State Warriors forward Larry McNeil. It may be worthwhile to note that the scoring system utilized in 1977 heavily weighted a player's ability to make all five of his dunks (from five designated portion of the floor). So while McNeil's dunks may have offered only a modest degree of pizzazz, he was likely able to outlast some opponents en route to the finals on accuracy alone (George Gervin was at least one of the big names who sealed his own fate by missing multiple dunks).