Milwaukee Bucks: Slam Dunk Contest History, 2017 Preview
By Adam McGee
Ray Allen – 1997
It’s hard to comprehend now as we sit closer to his twilight years as a deadeye shooter, but Ray Allen was once known more for his dunking ability than his shooting. As a rookie, Allen was selected to compete in the Dunk Contest as something of an athletic and exciting young prospect who had started to make an impression around the NBA.
Joining Allen in the field in 1997 were Kobe Bryant, Michael Finley, Darvin Ham, Chris Carr and Bob Sura. Allen was never much of a showman throughout his career, and at this point that was more the case than ever.
Allen went about his business with a couple of impressive dunks, before his third and final attempt rattled back off the rim and behind him towards mid-court. In commentary Allen was described as smooth, and in many ways his dunks were too smooth to leave any sort of forceful impression with viewers or judges.
Allen finished with a final combined score of 35 in spite of missing the final attempt. He finished in fourth only four points behind Finley’s mark to advance to the final. Kobe Bryant would go on to claim victory.
Next: 2015