Dunk duel of 1988: Jordan vs. Wilkins
Winner had home-court edge
CHICAGO — Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins never have talked to one another about the 1988 dunk contest.
They might be the only ones. It is still the dunk contest by which all other dunk contests are measured: Two stars, at their peaks, the players who finished first and second that season in scoring, going headto-head. Jordan left the old Chicago Stadium that night with the trophy. To this day, many believe Wilkins was the rightful winner. Either way, it was a never-to-be-forgotten show — and now, for the first time since that night 32 years ago, the dunk contest is returning to Chicago on Saturday night.
“I did have a home-court advantage, yes,” Jordan said.
“The fans got their money’s worth,” Wilkins said.
This season’s dunk contestants — Orlando’s Aaron Gordon, Miami’s Derrick
Jones Jr., the Lakers’ Dwight Howard and Milwaukee’s Pat Connaughton — will have quite a show to follow.
To this day, Wilkins believes he should have won. To this day, he still tips his cap to what Jordan did.
“We were foes and we had some great battles, but he understood the moment,” Wilkins said. “So, for us, there’s no hard feelings.”
None of this year’s four dunk contest participants are AllStars. It was different 32 years ago, when the dunk contest was being held for the fourth time.
“And it’s probably much harder today because how many times can you do the same dunks over and over again?” Jordan said.
The 1988 field was stacked. Wilkins had won in 1985. Spud Webb won in 1986. Jordan won in 1987. They were all in the field, along with Greg Anderson, Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey and Otis Smith.
Of course, it came down to Wilkins vs. Jordan. Three dunks each to decide the title. Both got a perfect score — 50 — on their first dunk in the final round. Wilkins got another 50 in the second round, with Jordan getting a 47. That meant Wilkins needed 48 to clinch the win.
Wilkins went with a two-handed windmill for a score of 45. Drexler looked on in disbelief.
“I was surprised at his score,” Jordan said.
The door was open for Jordan. He tried a dunk from the foul line and missed, but the rules allowed two chances per attempt. The second effort is the one replayed about a billion times since: He took off from just inside the foul line, pulled the ball back before finishing off the slam. He got a perfect score of 50.
Final score: Jordan 147, Wilkins 145.