{"id":15002,"date":"2018-02-22T20:47:58","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T02:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=15002"},"modified":"2018-02-22T20:47:58","modified_gmt":"2018-02-23T02:47:58","slug":"dominique-wilkins-talks-michael-jordan-windmill-dunks-and-cars-hall-of-famer-dominique-wilkins-is-the-human-highlight-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=15002","title":{"rendered":"Dominique Wilkins Talks Michael Jordan, Windmill Dunks and Cars, Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins is the Human Highlight Film"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"During a 15-year Hall of Fame NBA career, Dominique Wilkins @DWilkins21 was a nine-time All-Star, two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion and scoring champion. But maybe more than anything, he was a legendary dunker, earning the nickname \u201cThe Human Highlight Film.\u201d We caught up with \u2018Nique, 58, to talk dunks, cars and his rival, Michael Jordan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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This is the 30th anniversary of the 1988 showdown with you and Michael Jordan; many people think that’s the greatest Slam Dunk Contest there’s ever been. What’s stands out most about that night?<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, I can’t believe it’s 30 years. Thirty years. But yeah, I would like to think it’s the best ever, as well. That’s from a selfish standpoint. It was the level of competition. Michael and I wanted to know who the best was. And that’s what brought out the best of each other.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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You went up against Michael Jordan in Chicago and also lost a classic to Spud Webb in his hometown of Dallas. You kept losing to hometown guys. Were you robbed? Should you be a four-time Dunk champ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"I’ll tell you what, let’s do a poll and let that poll decide. Both of those contests was a lot of fun. I mean, Spud who was a very close friend and teammate of mine at the time, was like a little brother. And Michael and I, who were fierce competitors. So it set up two of the best dunk contests ever.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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There was some home cooking though, don’t you think?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Probably a tad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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How impressive was Spud Webb as an athlete?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was an incredible athlete in the sense that, to be so small (5\u20197\u201d), athletically some of the stuff he did above the rim. But more importantly, how fast he was. He could beat people from one end of the floor to the other, with the basketball. Which not many guys can do that. John Wall is one of those guys that I think who does that on a nightly basis.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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How did Dr. J influence the evolution of the slam dunk as we know it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. J in my opinion, is kind of the granddaddy of it all, because it’s stuff that he did on the court. Doc was the first of those ballerina type of athlete that looks so graceful on the floor. He brought that every single night. It was like traveling with Michael Jackson when you traveled with Doc in those days. That’s how big and popular he was.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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What’s the difference between the Slam Dunk Content mentality and in-game dunking? Because it seems like a lot of the guys that thrive in the Slam Dunk Contest aren’t necessarily great in-game dunkers, like you and Michael were. What’s the difference between those two styles?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That’s a great question. The difference is, in-game dunkers do stuff that you do every night, in traffic, off the brake, on the fly. And if you look at the dunk contest Michael and I were in, that was stuff we did in the games. I never worked on moves before those dunk contests, and neither did Michael. We did stuff off the fly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Your signature windmill dunk, where did that originate?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"It was by accident, actually. This happened in high school, believe it or not. Someone tried to block my shot, but the only way I could get around them and get to the rim was I had to bring the ball back down and up again, and that’s how I really started doing that [windmill]. It was really by accident.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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And then you just started doing it on breakaways? How did that become your signature dunk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I got that nickname, the Human Highlight Film, also in high school, I hated that name. But over time I started to love that. I said, “Wait a minute. I could make a little money off this name.” So I said “Hey, when I go to the basket, I gotta make it look good.” So I started doing [the windmill].<\/strong><\/p>\n

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You and Michael Jordan are linked, but also your brother, Gerald Wilkins, called himself the \u201cJordan Stopper\u201d for a time. What was your reaction to that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know what, he made Michael work, but Michael still got his 40. He made have held him to 40 instead of 45, okay? The thing I love about my brother Gerald is that he had no fear. He’s gonna battle, he’ll play you hard, and that’s how he made his career. He was a workman type of player that brought it every night. I couldn’t be more proud of what he accomplished as a player.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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