Anthony Jerome "Spud" Webb (born July 13, 1963) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Webb, who played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA), is known for winning a

Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

despite being one of the shortest players in NBA history, being listed at tall. He is currently the president of basketball operations for the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado ...

, the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA D ...

team for the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the 2 ...

Early years

Webb was born into poverty in

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. He was raised in a small two-bedroom home and saw basketball as an inspiration. Webb was not tall, but he used his quickness and jumping ability to outplay bigger kids. Starting in the seventh grade, Webb was told that he was too short to play basketball. He got a chance to play on his junior high team only after two players did not complete physical exam requirements in time for the first game. Webb scored 22 points in his first game. He could dunk the ball when he was tall. At

Wilmer-Hutchins High School Wilmer-Hutchins High School (nicknamed ''"The Hutch"'') is a public secondary school in Dallas, Texas ( USA). A part of the Dallas Independent School District, Wilmer-Hutchins High was formerly part of the now defunct Wilmer-Hutchins Independent ...

, he played on the junior varsity team and made a large impact; when he made the varsity team, he averaged 26 points per game as a senior.

College career

Midland College

Despite his impressive high school record, Webb attracted little interest from colleges. He was recruited by North Texas Basketball Coach Bill Blakeley (who would later become his agent throughout his NBA career) but received his first opportunity to play on a college basketball team at

Midland College Midland College (MC) is a public community college in Midland, Texas. It was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a main campus on in Mi ...

(in

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County. At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...

), where he led the Chaparrals to the junior college national title in 1982. In the championship game, Midland defeated top-ranked and previously unbeaten Miami-Dade North of Florida, 93-88, in double overtime. Webb led all scorers in with 36 points, shooting 10-15 from the floor and 16-18 from the line. His performance at the tournament earned Webb a write-up in ''Sports Illustrated'' and national attention. In 1983, he was named an NJCAA All-American by the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

North Carolina State University

Webb was planning to transfer to North Texas to play for Bill Blakeley but Blakeley was fired in May 1983 and Spud prepared to go work with his Dad at Webb’s Soul Mart near Fair Park in Dallas. Coach Blakeley reached out to his friend,

Tom Abatemarco Tom Abatemarco (born October 3, 1949) is an American college basketball coach, currently an assistant for the Iona Gaels of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Abatemarco has previously been a head coach at Lamar, Drake and Sacramento ...

, an assistant coach at North Carolina State University, and took him to watch Spud play in a summer league game at MLK Recreation Center. Abatemarco was impressed and arranged for Webb to meet head coach

Jim Valvano James Thomas Anthony Valvano (March 10, 1946 – April 28, 1993), nicknamed Jimmy V, was an American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. Valvano had a successful coaching career with multiple schools, most notably at North Caroli ...

, who offered Webb a scholarship. In college, his vertical leap was measured at . He played for NC State in the 1983–84 and 1984-85 seasons, averaging 10.4 points and 5.7 assists.

Professional career

Atlanta Hawks (1985–1991)

Most scouts predicted that Webb would end up playing in either Europe or for the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of ...

because of his height. However, Webb was drafted in the 4th round of the

1985 NBA draft The 1985 NBA Draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA draft of the "lottery" era. It was also around this time where the league decreased the amount of rounds the draft spent, with the previous few years lasting up to 10 roun ...

by the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

. After the guard-loaded Pistons released Spud, his agent, Bill Blakeley arranged for a tryout with the Atlanta Hawks where Spud beat out several seasoned guards to make the opening roster.

Sacramento Kings (1991–1995)

Webb played his first six seasons with the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

before he was traded to the Sacramento Kings for

Travis Mays Travis Cortez Mays (born June 19, 1968) is an American women's basketball coach and former professional player who was the women's head coach for Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2016 until 2021. Mays was selected by the Sacramento Kings ...

, where he had his best years statistically and played as a starter from 1992–1995. Webb posted career highs of 16.0 points and 7.1 assists per game in his first season with the Kings. He also led the NBA in free throw shooting in his last season in Sacramento, shooting 93.4 percent in 1994-95 (after shooting 81.3 percent the previous season).

Return to Atlanta (1995–1996)

In 1995, Webb was traded back to the Atlanta Hawks for Tyrone Corbin.

Minnesota Timberwolves (1996)

Webb played half of the 1995-96 season with the Hawks before he was traded with

Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University o ...

to the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

for Christian Laettner and

Sean Rooks Sean Lester Rooks (September 9, 1969 – June 7, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1992 to 2004, and was an Assistant for Player Development for the Philadelphia 76ers ...

Orlando Magic (1998)

Webb finished his career after one season with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

, ultimately retiring from professional basketball in 1997. Webb had over 50 games with 20 points or more including a career high 34 points against the Golden State Warriors on April 21, 1993 and a career high 18 assists against the Detroit Pistons on April 19, 1986. Webb played 814 games in his NBA career, averaging 9.9 points per game, and registering 8,072 points and 4,342 assists in twelve seasons. Since Webb made his NBA debut, only two players have been shorter than he was: Muggsy Bogues and

Earl Boykins Earl Antoine Boykins (born June 2, 1976) is a former American professional basketball player. Standing at in height, he is the second-shortest player in NBA history behind Muggsy Bogues, who is tall. He was the head coach for the Douglas Cou ...

NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Webb was the shortest person to compete in the

NBA Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

, winning the event in 1986 at Dallas'

Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks. The ...

. His participation surprised the media; including his teammate and defending dunk champion

Dominique Wilkins Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seven-time All ...

, who had "never seen me dunk before", Webb said. His dunks included the elevator two-handed double pump dunk, the off-the-backboard one-handed jam, a 360-degree helicopter one-handed dunk, a reverse double-pump slam, and finally, the reverse two-handed strawberry jam from a lob bounce off the floor. He defeated Wilkins with two perfect 50-point scores in the final round. Atlanta coach Mike Fratello said, "Spud kind of duped him. He told Wilkins he never had anything prepared, didn't practice for it. So, Wilkins maybe thought his normal assortment would be good enough to get through". Twenty years after Webb's victory in the Slam Dunk contest, he trained

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

point guard Nate Robinson (who stands at 5 feet 9 inches tall) to win the event. Webb tossed the ball to Robinson, who leaped over Webb and dunked, earning 50 points from the judges. Robinson went on to win, making him and Spud the only two people in NBA history under six feet tall to win a slam dunk contest. The 1986 Slam Dunk victory along with his play as a rookie and fan favorite helped Webb to garner dozens of national endorsements from companies such as Pony Shoes,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

, Church’s Fried Chicken, Baden Basketball, Hardee’s Hamburgers, Sunkist Oranges, Southland Corp and

Chips Ahoy! Chips Ahoy! is an American chocolate chip cookie brand, baked and marketed by Nabisco, a subsidiary of Mondelez International, that debuted in 1963. Chips Ahoy! cookies are available in different variations such as, original, reduced-fat, chunky, ...

Webb was a judge for the 2010 Dunk contest in Dallas, at the

American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association and the Dallas St ...

. It was the first time the event had been in Dallas since Webb's win in 1986.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, 79 , , 8 , , 15.6 , , .483 , , .182 , , .785 , , 1.6 , , 4.3 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 33 , , 0 , , 16.1 , , .438 , , .167 , , .762 , , 1.8 , , 5.1 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 1 , , 16.4 , , .475 , , .053 , , .817 , , 1.8 , , 4.1 , , .8 , , .1 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 6 , , 15.0 , , .459 , , .045 , , .867 , , 1.5 , , 3.5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 3.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 46 , , 26.6 , , .477 , , .053 , , .871 , , 2.5 , , 5.8 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 9.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 75 , , 64 , , 29.3 , , .447 , , .321 , , .868 , , 2.3 , , 5.6 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 13.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 77 , , 77 , , 35.4 , , .445 , , .367 , , .859 , , 2.9 , , 7.1 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 16.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 69 , , 68 , , 33.8 , , .433 , , .274 , , .851 , , 2.8 , , 7.0 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 79 , , 62 , , 32.5 , , .460 , , .335 , , .813 , , 2.3 , , 6.7 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 76 , , 76 , , 32.3 , , .438 , , .331 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .934* , , 2.3 , , 6.2 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 51 , , 0 , , 16.0 , , .468 , , .316 , , .851 , , 1.2 , , 2.7 , , .5 , , .0 , , 5.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

, 26 , , 21 , , 24.8 , , .394 , , .403 , , .879 , , 1.5 , , 5.9 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 9.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .417 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 814 , , 429 , , 24.9 , , .452 , , .314 , , .848 , , 2.1 , , 5.3 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 9.9

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

, align="left" ,

, 9 , , 0 , , 20.3 , , .519 , , .000 , , .738 , , 3.4 , , 7.2 , , .4 , , .1 , , 12.2 , - , align="left" ,

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, align="left" ,

, 8 , , 1 , , 15.3 , , .474 , , .000 , , .765 , , 1.0 , , 4.8 , , .8 , , .0 , , 3.9 , - , align="left" ,

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

, align="left" ,

, 12 , , 0 , , 17.6 , , .432 , , .250 , , .919 , , 1.7 , , 4.7 , , .8 , , .0 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" ,

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .273 , , – , , 1.000 , , .8 , , 3.0 , , .8 , , .0 , , 1.6 , - , align="left" ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 30.8 , , .439 , , .417 , , .688 , , 4.4 , , 4.8 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 13.2 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 39 , , 6 , , 18.6 , , .458 , , .304 , , .819 , , 2.2 , , 5.1 , , .8 , , .1 , , 8.2

References

External links

* *
2004 interview, "Catching Up with Spud Webb"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Spud 1963 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Dallas Detroit Pistons draft picks Idaho Stampede (CBA) players Midland Chaps basketball players Minnesota Timberwolves players NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players Orlando Magic players Point guards Sacramento Kings players Scaligera Basket Verona players United States Basketball League players

Early years

College career

Midland College

North Carolina State University

Professional career

Atlanta Hawks (1985–1991)

Sacramento Kings (1991–1995)

Return to Atlanta (1995–1996)

Minnesota Timberwolves (1996)

Orlando Magic (1998)

NBA Slam Dunk Contest

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links