Tonight Dennis Smith Jr. will become the 3rd former NC State player to participate in the Dunk Contest. The other two players were Spud Webb and none other than David “Skywalker” Thompson. Before DSJ takes flight tonight, let’s take a moment to look back at the first EVER Dunk Contest, which featured Thompson against none other than Julius Erving.
In 1976, the ABA was struggling to compete with the NBA, so in an effort to increase viewership, they had a dunk contest at halftime that featured rookie David Thompson, Julius Erving, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and Larry Kenon.