Michael Jordan vs Dominique Wilkins - 1985 Slam Dunk Contest

Hello again everybody and welcome to the 1985 NBA Slam Dunk Championship. All right, we're picking up the action here. Here's contestant number one, Dominic Wilkins of the Atlanta Hawks, his second attempt in the first round. Oh, Rod, a reverse two-handed. Really a showman. They call him the human highlight film as we look again. Creativity, that's one of the very important criteria to do well in the slam dunk today. So, Dominic Wilkins shuts down and waits for his score. Here's Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls, one of the hot candidates for rookie of the year honors as he slams it home. Michael starts easy. I'm going to give him an eight on that too. I know he's capable of a lot more at 6'6". He can do an awful lot of things midair. And we look again on the reverse just down the road in the windy city of Chicago. A big favorite here in Indianapolis at the Market Square Arena. A great dunk by the sensational rookie from North Carolina. Here's Dominic Wilkins with a reverse slam. Dominique is unbelievable. Every dunk he seems to execute is done with such... Let's watch again. This is awfully hard to do. When you take your eye off the basket, spin all the way around, leap in the air, and still have that great body control as well as sight on the basket. Rod, that's a 10 for this judge. Somebody's disagreeing though. How about Michael Jordan on this slam? Michael has an uncanny ability to hang in the air so long. This kid is going to be a future great, great star. The all-around ability of a Dr. J, a Larry Bird. He's already being compared on this his first year. Sensational player. I'm calling that one an eight, Rod. He didn't leave the ground that early. His score was incorrect. He was scheduled to receive a total of 40 points. Thus, we have a tie for the right to advance between Chicago's Michael Jordan and the Pacers' Terrence Stansbury. Rod, there was a computer malfunction. We're going to have a sudden dunk now with Stansbury and Michael Jordan to see who goes into the next round. All right, here's Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. 6'6", rookie slam. Beautiful. Out of sight. He put that ball, he locked it in his wrist, went in, and then from the side dunk, the score from Michael Jordan. Look at this wrap around, reach back, and slam it home. Once again with Dominic Wilkins, a hammer with the right hand. Boy, that's a 10 to me. I may be too generous today, but that was a super move. Tell you one thing, this guy is going after this thing like he really wants to win it. And look at that hammer throw with the right hand. He has confidence, he has super concentration, and you can see it on his face. Larry said the slam dunk contest made him famous last year. Now everybody wants him to slam all the time. Now we look at Michael Jordan reverse. Now he misses his first attempt, but it does not count. No, you get two chances. Michael Jordan. So he's going to attempt the same. Look at him hold that ball. Same play, John. Watch this. Right in. Bam! Beautiful move by Michael Jordan. One-handed reverse. I'm calling that a nine, just like that young man. This is the second year here in the NBA. Look again. 6-6 Michael Jordan. So Michael looks up and checks a 45 on the scoreboard. All the judges agreed. Five judges. Dominic Wilkins with a sidewinder. Let's walk him back to the net. You can look at his face, you can see the concentration. That is awfully hard to do. The body going sideways and reach over the head and slam it back. Another look. Beautiful camera shot there. Up high and he slams it. Last effort of the semifinal round. Here's Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. Here he goes. Oh, spectacular. That was a great one. Michael Jordan, that's a beauty. That's a 10 to me. Our first finalist from the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan. And our second finalist from down in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Atlanta Hawks, Dominic Wilkins. We move to the championship. The final two, Michael Jordan and Dominic Wilkins. Once again, a three-phase competition. Three dunks per player. Referee Norm Drucker, 27 years experience in the league, will flip the coin. Dominic Wilkins will make the call. Dominic Wilkins called heads. It's heads. He is elected to have Michael Jordan begin our final round. Out here is Michael Jordan with a slam. Not one of his best of the day. I'm going to give Michael a nine on that. Obviously, he wanted him to go first because if he did something spectacular, that he would have to reach deep into his bag of tricks and come out with something. And you know he's got a deep bag, Rod, right? He sure does. Dominic, backhand, two-hand. He has been the crowd favorite right past about halfway, as you can see why. Beautiful coordination. The reverse slam dunk with both hands. Rod, both these players are competing for big bucks now. The winner, $12,000. The runner-up, seven. Michael Jordan with a reverse. Now, he was down four points going into that dunk. He gets set for his second attempt after you look at this replay of Michael Jordan. Reverse, face up, and slam it down. He hits the rim on that stuff. I'm calling that one a nine, Rod. They give him a score of 44 for Michael Jordan. Highlight film himself. See, he's talking to Isaiah Thomas there on the right. Isaiah, a self-appointed advisor. Look at this. He slams it off the glass, goes up, catches, returns his back, and then slams it home. You'll take another look. Up high, off the glass, this from a different angle, and watch this reverse. What timing. Absolutely fantastic. Now, the midget camera from up top gives you an outstanding view. Look at this dunk. Power. Artistry, huh? Boy, that guy really can do it. You think he isn't confident? What he can do to overcome the lead. He's down now, and he's going to really have to do something. Plus, you've got to remember, Dominic gets another shot right behind him. Here he goes. Oh, spectacular. Past the basket before he let it go down. So, another look. Never touching it with the left hand. All the way across, reverse it with the right hand. A reverse cradle by Michael Jordan. That's a beauty. That's a 10 to me. Here's a third look, a third angle. Same result. All right, he gets a score of 49. One away from perfect on that dunk. He only needs about, I think, a 40 to win this. Here he goes. I think that'll do it. He was in the competition a year ago. Watch this. His final dunk, and he hammers it home. You've got to see it on that replay to really appreciate what these guys do. So, Dominic Wilkins of the Atlanta Hawks, the new 1985 Slam Dunk Champion.