Kobe Wins Slam Dunk Contest
Before he became a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player and an 18-time NBA All-Star, amongst other achievements, Kobe Bryant was a young cub looking to find his footing in the NBA. During his rookie season, he elected to do that through winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
And, as was the case with most things he tried to do in the NBA, he was successful.
Up against Ray Allen, Chris Carr, Darvin Ham, Michael Finley and Bob Sura, Kobe used a score of 49 on his final dunk in order to top Carr to become the NBA’s youngest Slam Dunk Contest winner – at the age of 18 – in history.
It wasn’t the biggest achievement of his career, by any means, but it was the start of a storied career.
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