Welcome to Throwback Thursday here on the All Ball Blog. Each week, we’ll delve into the NBA’s photo archives and uncover a topic and some great images from way back when. Hit us up here if you have suggestions for a future TBT on All Ball. Suggestions are always welcome!

Today’s TBT topic: NBA TV’s Slam Dunk-A-Thon



By Jeff Case & Jonathan Hartzell, NBA.com

What’s better than watching a Slam Dunk Contest from the NBA’s archives? How about a whole day of watching Slam Dunk Contests? That’s exactly what NBA TV has in store today starting at 10 a.m. ET and going until 5 p.m. ET, with more Dunk Contests airing again from 7 p.m. ET Thursday to 2 a.m ET on Friday.

You’ll see every Slam Dunk Contest in history (yes, even the first-ever one at the ABA All-Star Game in 1976 that featured Julius “Dr. J” Erving). It’s a great time to look back at an era when All-Stars like Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Clyde Drexler were regular participants in the event.

And, you can look forward to this year’s Sprite Slam Dunk contest, which features three All-Stars (Damian Lillard, Paul George and John Wall) for the first time since the 1988 edition (when Wilkins, Jordan and Drexler participated).

To celebrate the big day of TV watching on NBA TV, here are some of the most iconic Slam Dunk Contest images of all-time:

(NOTE: Click the “caption” icon below the photo for details about each moment.)

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Gallery: Throwback Thursday: Slam Dunk History

What was your favorite dunk contest moment? Leave your comments below!

Category: Throwback Thursday / Tags: , Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, NBA TV, Slam Dunk Contest / 72 Comments on Throwback Thursday: A Slam Dunk-A-Thon /