M.L. Carr - 1977 NBA Slam Dunk Contest (Pistons First Dunk Contestant)

While the NBA's modern slam dunk contest format didn't debut until 1984, the league's first foray into organized slam dunkery actually occurred in 1976, just after the ABA debuted their own contest months prior. Contrary to the modern, single-event format, the NBA's inaugural dunk contest took place over the course of the 1976-77 season with players from various regions battling head-to-head for the right to advance. Rounds were generally televised during halftime of NBA on CBS broadcasts.

M.L. Carr, in his first year with the NBA after playing for the ABA's Spirts of St. Louis as a rookie, became the first slam dunk contestant in Detroit Pistons history (later joined by Allan Houston, Jerry Stackhouse, and Andre Drummond. The NBA's inagural contest, unassociated with the modern contest timeline that began in 1984, required players to dunk from five different spots on the floor, earning separate scores for style and dunk completion.

The final round of the 1977 dunk contest was broadcast at halftime of the NBA Finals. There, Darnell Hillman defeated Larry McNeil with an array of dunks that featured significantly more flair than what Dawkins and Hayes offered in their own rounds. In 2017, Hillman was finally gifted an official NBA Slam Dunk contest trophy in a surprise presentation in Indiana:    • Darnell 'Dr. Dunk' Hillman finally ge...  

Hillman's winning round:    • Darnell Hillman - The Very First NBA ...  

Allan Houston's dunk contest:    • Allan Houston - 1994 NBA Slam Dunk Co...  

Jerry Stackhouse's dunk contest:    • Jerry Stackhouse - 2000 NBA Slam Dunk...  

Andre Drummond's dunk contest:    • Andre Drummond - 2016 NBA Slam Dunk C...