Back when NBA superstars battle it out in Slam Dunk contests and not afraid to put reputations on the line.

Im glad for the internet cause i could go back in time anytime .

LOL at Magic. Always enjoy listening him talk. :-)

Jordan's second dunk in the finals is way underrated. His damn elbow is in rim, which is why Vince's elbow never impressed me. Vince is awesome though

what was really cool about stars from 80s and 90s is that they would really go against eachother as hard as they could. It wasnt like Kobe-LeBron matchup today when both avoid eachother, dont guard eachother and deny the comparison. Jordan tried to kill Willkins just as much Willkins tried to kill MJ on the court, they didnt pretend that there wasnt any rivalry between them. Everybody knew about the rivalry the question was whos gonna beat whom

When dunk contest actually meant something

U CAN'T APPRECIATE JORDAN'S DUNKS UNTIL U SEE IN SLOW MOTION ... jordan's side way dunk is the most underrated of all time. just look at it in the slow mo man.. sideways and head touching the rim and his entire arm till elbow was in the rim.. damn

This is my era of the NBA. Actually became aware of professional basketball right around the end of the ABA so I am kind of "old school" 70's and into the 80's hoops. These two right here, how lucky we were to see them compete not only in this contest but watching guys like Nique and Air Jordan, Bird, Zeke, Magic, Dr J, twin towers in Houston, back to Hawkins and Iceman...Bad News Barnes, The Enforcer. That's the ABA/NBA I grew up with so those guys are the ones who I always say are better than anyone playing today. Yeah, today's guys are faster stronger and jump higher. But as competitors, my guys were hungrier and did it better 😊

LOL.....I love Magic Johnson's depiction on the 1988 Slam Dunk.Contest.

I agree with Barkley. Dominique definitely should have won this. That two-handed windmill dunk with that much vertical and power definitely deserved a 50.

I LOVE This. People always forget this was in Chicago.

For me, the Jordan Sideways dunk where he is almost horizontal is the best dunk of all time. It's so artistic and amazing to look at. I love it. Jordan and Dominique is definitely the best Dunk contest rivalry of all time, easily. Man they were both so damn good.

Sorry, but Nique didn't get robbed from anything! Jordan dunked from the free trow line 3 times in his career,.. all in the slam dunk contest. Only a few lucky people witnessed that in person. First one became the logo of the beloved JUMPMAN!! The 2 & 3rd one were redifined with a beautiful pose in the air. Sorry, Nique was great,.. but Jordan was simply beautiful in the air!! Everytime I watch his dunks I get goosebumps!:) Nique is just raw power. Jordans is Michelangelo of B-ball!

Michael never failed to impress, just incredible!

Wilkins didn't get robbed. he lost by 2 points. And the real reason he lost was because he repeated the windmill way too much. He did it with one hand two hands, from one side, then the other side. I mean come on. What happens if Jordan does the free throw line dunk on every turn? they wont give him 50, the value decreases for each repetition. thumbs up if this makes total sense.

Greatest vs greatest both deserved greatness in dunk contest....historical.....momentum....legacy....

I say Jordan kilgano is the more entertainer dunker. But in NBA, MJ is da GOAT..

I am a Chicago Bulls fan! But I truly believe Dominique won this dunk contest. Anyway this was one of the best dunk contest ever

The Greatest Dunk Contest Ever

I didn't have cable back then so I missed the whole thing smh. Thank goodness for dvd's. Come Fly With Me

Kenny "The Jet" Smith was a good basketball player but he is certain to be a great basketball analyst. His keen insight is usually spot on and articulated well. That 88' Dunk Contest was historic and will be debated about for decades to come. No matter how we feel about the results, we were all treated in viewing many special moments & events that NBA All-Star Weekend. I have fond memories of these (my two favorite) players and this epic battle. Thank You Gentlemen.

Awesome time to be a basketball player as a young man.

look at Drexlers reaction @ 5:37..he know wats up!!!LMAO..but big props to Dominique...in my opinion,diz was the greatest dunk contest so far..

One of the greatest dunk contest ever

The good ole days !

Legendary dunk contest!🤩

Dominique smoked MJ in the dunk contest!! But MJ was being marketed as NBA poster star can't win against corrupt judges but the people's champion was Dominique

4:12 That was all 50 It should've been

The debut of the air Jordan 3s.. first $110 basketball shoes!!

Michael Jordan defines REAL GREATNESS!!!!! #GOAT

I feel like Gordon vs Levine rivalry was the only thing that come close but not quite to this Dunk Contest. All other contest was a one man show esp. during Vince Carter. But this?, you cant argue the fact that up to this day the result is still debatable. In power perspective, and intensity view; it's Nique's. However, there's one dunk to this very day that not everyone did, and that dunk was that sideways dunk. If you look at that in slow mo, it's elegance and finesse.

Difference with Jordan's free throw dunks.. he actually dribbled. Those small technicalities are what makes Jordan so great.. the intricate details

OMG P.o.D. Hahah. I remember that band. What a Product if it's time.

Everybody tends to forget, that Mike got robbed on his 2nd finale dunk (47). And Nique's 2nd finale dunk wasn't that good, wasn't clean, but it got 50 anyway. I guess judges wanted to make amends for that. And IMO that's where the controversy comes from. Nique's one handed windmill should be 45 and double handed one should be 50. So it doesn't change anything. And don't give me that same old "MJ did FTL Dunk twice. How many windmills did Nique do... ? Sorry Nique, this one was clearly MJ's, Chicago, no Chicago. You beat MJ in 1985, there's no debate.

This contest is why I really believe that: 1- No "hometown" people should be allowed to be a judge if there's a hometown player competing (in this case, Gayle Sayers & Tom Hawkins should've been left off the panel). 2- Only former dunk champs/runner-ups or other players known as great dunkers should be allowed to judge.

His air time is always incredible!

Well, I wished (okay, I was HOPING) the judges would've given 50s across the board to Wilkins AND Jordan, making the score 150-150 and forcing a dunk-off. Both guys would have no other choice but to do something other than windmills, 360s, Superman/Lean-ins and freethrow line glides.

Dominique got absolutely robbed. I remember watching it live. Anybody who thinks otherwise falls for the Jordan NBA propaganda.

I'm sure there had been better players and more since however, this is not what it is for me, I'm not a real Basketball fan or was, but Michael Jordan made me want to watch and it was exciting, yes there were other great players around but they didn't have that aura.

Greatest dunk contest ever! #RAREAIR

the AIRNES vs the HUMAN HIGHLIGHTS FILM

I agree that Dominique's last dunk WAS his best dunk. So he DEFINITELY deserved a 50. But, as we all know, he wasn't winning in Chicago. He DESERVED to win, but it wasn't gonna happen that night.

the music at 3:05 was just so accurate. perfect.

Am I the only one who laughed at LeBron sharing his comments on this? He was like 3 years old.

Dominique Wilkins real winner of the dunk contest

At the end MJ was like. “You guys watch me make a poster”

Jordan's dunks looked way better in slow motion. Dominique did the same dunks just different angles.

MJ won this competition plain and simple. He showed he was a better dunker taking off single foot and both with flair. DW was just dunking under the rim with power. Talking about covering more distance then it is clear that MJ was doing more than just dunking, he was flying!

I’m from the ATL. I remember going to school after that dunk contest and all my friends and I swore ‘Nique got robbed. That might have been the first rigged election I ever witnessed!

Once in every contest. Very different than 4 times in the same contest like Dominique.

The jumpman logo was made from and photo shoot. Also Jordan had the ball in his left hand for that shoot.

Even though Nique was given a shitty score of 45 Jordan still NEEDED a 48 just to tie and 49 to win. He got a 50, which was really no surprise, as was said to Nique on the airplane ride home "You know there was no way you were winning that contest in Chicago..." but point is even with a score of 50 he only won by 2 points meaning Nique was leading the entire final round and was beating Jordan, it's simple math get an education, Dominique was robbed there is no way his last dunk was only a "45"

Jumpman logo is Jordan with his legs spread. Free throw line dunk, his legs are together.

the crowds win jordan era.

Why in the hell do they have Lebron on this video talking like he remembered watching this and he never competed in a dunk contest

Dominique got a taste of how boxer's feel about those awkward split decisions judges come up with.

The east was on fire back then !!

Why did dunks look so much better at this point in time? I just can´t find the answer

Sorry Hush, you ask most people on the dunk contest in Chicago, they would clearly say Nique won.

Three point contest: Steph Curry vs Larry Bird. Who's with me?

That's right. Two Three forever!

Jordan got best hangin/move dunks but Dominique won dat shit..

"Consistent judging all the way up until the end." That's what Bob Neal, commentator for TBS during that contest, said & he said it best. Personally, I felt that the scores should've been 50 all the way through for both guys & let them go into a dunk-off... The "score", if you will, is STILL 1-1. They have victories each over one another. STILL not really settled - other than personal opinions - on who's the better dunker. The "home cooking" judging is the only thing that tainted the event..

It's too bad we didn't have a dunk contest since this one where former champions went at it to see who was the best of the best....could you imagine a contest with Jason Richardson, Vince Carter AND Kobe Bryant in it??

D. Wilkins was an incredible dunker and freak athlete but he was dunking before show dunks were invented. There's no telling what he could do if he was playing now in the age of guys who just dunk as a profession. No disrespect but he did pretty much the same dunks in every contest...a variation of the windmill and double-pump dunks. He also only jumped off of two feet. Jordan, IMO, was a much better, more graceful, dunker. If Wilkins was playing now, I wouldn't be shocked if he could pull of the "between both legs" dunks that's never been done. Just my .02.

Bruh people love the old days because Jordan had s bunch of ok dunks compared to the dunkers today! Mfs are stuck in the old days!

DW got screwed

Shit - even young ass Vince Carter knows this to be truth!! Nique won!! Damn what those judges said!!

This contest was tainted with the "home cooking" advantage for Jordan. It was held in Chicago (his home court), one of the judges was NFL Hall-Of-Famer Gayle Sayers (who was a star for the Chicago Bears) and another judge, former NBA star Tom Hawkins, is a Chicago native.

Dude plays with the bball like a yoyo

Know what's crazy Mike Tyson lost his heavyweight championship that night I was video taping it going back and forth me and my older brother Jay

47 at worst, which would have sent it into an overtime do or die one chance, one last dunk, which from Jordan's own words he had no idea even what to do to beat Dominique, begging the question to be asked, had it gone to one more do or die one attempt dunk, could he have outdone himself and beat Dominique. Dominique was the most known dunker in these contests to always outdo whatever he just did.

Now I'm old school all the way,but this can't touch Zach Levine and Aaron Gordon.

Had kobe and vinsanity went head to head in the dunk contest it maybe could have compared 1988

If that slam dunk contest was any where else Jordan would have lost.

How many 2 handed windmill dunks have you seen in your life? Enough said...

Boston dynasty needs to come back

Nique was more of a power dunker who exploded near the rim whereas Michael was more graceful who flew from a longer range so it really just depends on what you like. Both guys were fantastic dunkers in the slam dunk competition AND in games. Until this very day, only Vince Carter was better.

There should be a rule to not show the same dunk twice in the contest. Nique was more creative

Dominique won

For me MJ is the greates but the NBA loves to distort reality. MJ shouldn't have gotten a 50 because a) he did that FT dunk in a previous round and b) he actually missed his first attempt at the FT line dunk in the final!!

I don't really think it's a robbery; it's just the fact that the judges gave unusually low scores on some rather awesome dunks. Not just the 2-hand windmill, but Jordan's double-cradle before that. Hell, Otis Smith had a power dunk in the semi-finals that only got a 45. Hell, that score drew boos from the crowd, and Smith played for Golden State!!

Bob Neil summed things up when he said, “Consistent judging all day until the last 2 dunks,” referencing the 45 ‘Nique got and the 47 Jordan got on the dunk prior to his foul line dunk. The judges should’ve scored all those dunks 50s, then let them go into a dunk-off.. Gayle Sayers & Tom Hawkins - 2 guys with direct ties to Chicago - shouldn’t have been judging, in my view.

Michael is the only guy doesn't take part in these talk shows

I’ll never understand why the slam dunk competition is/was so popular, because without dunking on a defender those contests are lame AF!

nique won once jordan won once,obviously Jordan was the better player and that sometimes gets in the way of winning, especially in chicago !!!

Nique says his last dunk was the best. The problem is in all of his dunk contests he has relied on that Windmill Dunk far too often. Do it once great. Do it twice in a contest, okay its a bit redundant. Do it 3 times in the same contest and you are getting lazy and almost trying to cheat by using one dunk that always gets a high score. Jordan was far more creative and deserved to win that contest.

TIE - FINESSE VS POWER

At least Dominique won it in 90 to make up...

To me, i'm not a Dwight Howard fan, but he had the best Dunks ever in the contest

Author:Sir Randa Felt: I think it could have swung either way they Should of made it something never seen a 😎 tie.

this isn't 86, 86 dunk contest was won by Spudd Webb.

I saw it and DW should have won.

where did you get this clip from?

like mj repeated the free throwline dunk c'mon

having done the "free throw line" dunk 3 times as well please debate how thats not repetative? And we have ALL seen it before. That's why when dunkers in contests later on that would do it would score so low, it's old, been there done that, we've all seen it too much. It was damn cool only the 2nd time Jordan did it, did it right, & actually left from behind the line after that & in 85' when he first attempted it without the grace and height, it was not that impressive, as it was in 88'.

Nique was robbed. Jordan admitted this to him after the contest was over in the locker room. Shame we don't have ALL video from the 80's or dumbasses would know this now.

Jordan virtually did the same thing, he would come in from different sides, or the front, hold the ball low then dunk it at the last second... just as repetative as variations in the "windmill" dunk, whats the difference?

Unfortunately for Dominique it was in Chicago lol

@hushg2000 I agree!