February 8, 1997. Gund Arena in Cleveland was cold, but the 18-year-old rookie from the Lakers didn't seem to care. Honestly, most people remember the 1997 Kobe Bryant dunking contest win as a coronation. They see the highlight of that lean, teenage Mamba soaring through the air, tucking the ball between his legs, and they think it was some legendary battle.
It wasn't. It was actually kind of a mess.
If you look back at the footage, the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest was so underwhelming that the NBA literally canceled the event the following year. That’s not a joke. They replaced it with a shooting game called "2ball" because the dunking era had hit rock bottom. But in the middle of all that mediocrity, Kobe Bryant decided he was going to be a star.
The Rookie with Too Much Swagger
Kobe wasn't even a starter for the Lakers yet. He was coming off the bench, mostly known for being the kid who skipped college and took Brandy to his prom. When he walked onto the court in Cleveland, he had this look. You know the one—the "I'm better than everyone here and I know it" smirk.
He was wearing those bulky, purple adidas EQT Elevation sneakers. Looking back, they look like moon boots. But on him? They looked like the future.
Who was he even playing against?
The lineup wasn't exactly a Hall of Fame roster, which is part of why the contest felt a bit flat.
- Ray Allen: Before he was the greatest shooter ever, he was a bouncy rookie for the Bucks.
- Michael Finley: A serious high-flyer who actually led the first round.
- Chris Carr: A journeyman who ended up being Kobe’s biggest threat in the finals.
- Darvin Ham: Known for his power, but he couldn't get the rhythm right that night.
- Bob Sura: Let’s just say it wasn't a great night for Bob.
The first round was rough. Kobe actually only scored a 37. Out of 50. That’s normally a ticket home. But because everyone else was missing dunks or doing basic rim-grazers, that 37 was enough to squeeze him into the finals.
The Dunk That Changed Everything
The final round is where the "Black Mamba" (though he didn't have the nickname yet) actually showed up. While Chris Carr and Michael Finley were playing it safe or fumbling their attempts, Kobe went for the juggernaut.
He took off from the left side, pulled the ball through his legs in mid-air, and hammered it home. The crowd, which had been basically asleep for an hour, finally woke up. The judges—a panel that included Lisa Leslie, Julius Erving, and George Gervin—gave him a 49.
That was it. The contest was basically over.
Kobe celebrated by crossing his arms and soaking in the boos and cheers. He loved it. Even back then, he fed off the energy of being the "villain" in a gym that wasn't his own. He became the youngest Slam Dunk Champion in history at just 18 years old.
The Scorecard Nobody Mentions
People forget that Kobe actually missed his second dunk in the finals. He tried an alley-oop between the legs and it just didn't go. In today's NBA, that might have cost him. But in '97? Everyone else was so bad that he won anyway.
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Why the 1997 Contest was Bitter-Sweet
If you talk to old-school NBA fans, they’ll tell you the Kobe Bryant dunking contest was the end of an era. The league was so embarrassed by the lack of creativity and the constant misses that they pulled the plug for 1998. It took Vince Carter in 2000 to actually "save" the dunk contest.
But for Kobe, it was the perfect marketing launchpad. He wasn't just a Laker; he was a brand.
He showed that he had the "it" factor. While Ray Allen was quiet and professional, Kobe was theatrical. He was doing interviews with a level of confidence that bordered on "too much" for a rookie. But he backed it up.
What We Can Learn from Kobe’s 1997 Performance
Watching that tape now is a trip. You see a kid who wasn't the strongest or the tallest, but he was the most prepared. He had studied the tapes of Dr. J and Nique. He knew that the dunk contest isn't just about the jump; it’s about the show.
If you want to understand the Mamba Mentality, look at his 1997 dunk contest approach:
- Don't play down to the competition. Even when the other guys were failing, Kobe tried the hardest dunk of the night.
- Style matters. The way he walked, the way he fixed his jersey, the way he interacted with the judges—it was all a performance.
- Short memory. He didn't care that he barely made it out of the first round. He treated the finals like a clean slate.
Honestly, the dunk contest is kinda different now. It’s all props and choreographed gimmicks. Kobe’s win was raw. It was just a kid, a pair of purple shoes, and a rim.
If you're looking to relive this, don't just watch the 30-second highlight of the between-the-legs dunk. Go find the full broadcast. Watch the awkward silence of the crowd during the misses, then watch how Kobe single-handedly changes the temperature in the room. That’s the real story.
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Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the raw footage: Search for the "1997 Slam Dunk Contest full broadcast" to see the context of the misses.
- Check the kicks: Look up the adidas Crazy 97 EQT, which is the retro version of the shoes he wore that night.
- Compare to 2000: Watch Vince Carter's performance right after Kobe's to see how the "between the legs" dunk evolved in just three years.