- Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins had a phenomenal battle in the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest
- Wilkins believes he only lost to Jordan because the competition was in Chicago
- Wilkins opened up on Jordan crashing Atlanta Hawks’ locker room
Michael Jordan has a stacked resume featuring six NBA Championships, six NBA Finals MVPs, five regular season MVPs, and a plethora of more accolades.
Jordan also won back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk Contests in 1987 and 1988. In 1988, he had a memorable battle with Atlanta Hawks superstar Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins recently opened up about losing to Jordan in 1988 during an interview with Vlad TV.
“That [the Slam Dunk Contest being in Chicago] was the issue,” Wilkins said. “One of my best dunks, and when I got a 45, I looked up like, uh oh, you know it’s coming next. Actually, he [Michael Jordan] had two attempts at the free throw line. He missed the first, and I thought the dunk contest was over.
“They were like no, no, he got one more. That was the famous free throw line dunk that he attempted twice.”
Wilkins then agreed with the host about Jordan, saying he only lost because the contest was in Chicago.
“That’s exactly what he said,” he added. “No matter who won, the fans got their money’s worth. We don’t talk about it. The only time we have ever mentioned it is probably 30 years later. He was at a restaurant sitting down eating, and I walked up to say hello.
“He said, ‘Hey man, you know you won that dunk contest.’ I said, ‘Hey, how you doing, Mike?’ I forgot about that dunk contest, but it shows you the mutual respect we have for one other. It was an unspoken thing.”
The 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest was iconic for various reasons. Michael Jordan won 147-145 against Dominique Wilkins. The credit goes to Jordan’s insane free throw line dunk.
On the other hand, Wilkins threw down a spectacular two-handed windmill dunk. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough for him to beat Jordan’s dunk, who received a perfect 50 score for his dunk, as opposed to Wilkins’ 45.
Dominique Wilkins On Michael Jordan Cold-Bloodedly Walking Into The Atlanta Hawks’ Locker Room Before A Game
Michael Jordan had a unique way of dominating his opponents. Most of the time, Jordan would do it on the court, but there were instances when he played mind games with his opponents before the actual matchup.
A perfect example of it was when Michael Jordan walked into the Atlanta Hawks locker room before a game in 1987. Wilkins shared the story in an interview with Vlad TV.
“We are in Chicago, Michael walks into our locker room, suit and time,” Wilkins said. “I’m like, ‘Why this son of a gun coming in our locker room for?’ I’m thinking to go into the training room or something. He walks by me, he walks by Kevin Willis, he gets to Randy Wittman, taps him on his leg, he said, ‘Lace ’em up, it’s gonna be a long night.'”
He added: “I’m shocked, and I didn’t know what to say. He’s walking out and I just yelled something, I said, ‘Well, you tell Scottie Pippen, I’m gonna kick his a**.’ He had 60 that night.”
Michael Jordan stayed true to his word, and it was indeed a long night for the Atlanta Hawks. Jordan ended up with 61 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 assist. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the Bulls to win the game.
The Hawks won the game 117-114 behind Dominique Wilkins’ 34 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Dominique Wilkins Explains Why None Of The Top NBA Players Compete In The Slam Dunk Contest Anymore
The level of competition in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest has undoubtedly gone low over the years. So much so that none of the big-name NBA superstars take an interest in competing in the iconic competition.
“I think the problem is I don’t think anyone wants to know who the best is,” Wilkins said. “We wanted to know who the best was. When Mike and I went head up, we wanted to know who the best was. It really wasn’t about us, it was about the fans.”
He further added how players think that it could impact their legacy in the league if they end up on the losing side in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Wilkins, on the other hand, believes a dunk contest win or defeat would be a non-factor in a player’s legacy in the NBA.
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