More Dunking Goodness from Shawn Kemp
Check out these Top 10 Dunks by Shawn Kemp (hat tip, TrueHoop blog). Very impressive, that guy was an animal back when he was motivated and in shape. A physical specimen.
My favorite dunk is #5 because it shows good sportsmanship. Preceding Kemp's dunks Chris Gatling stuffs a couple of guys trying to make layups around the hoop. Kemp finally gets one of the blocks, takes a power step, and goes up. Gatling gets a piece of the ball and a large piece of Kemp's shoulder, arm, and face, and Kemp just powers through it and stuffs it on him. What's priceless is right after that dunk the two make eye contact, Gatling gives him this look like, “Damn, you the man,” Kemp extends his hand, and they do a nice little hand shake/chest bump.
Too awesome. Too often when a player is dunked on or the butt end of a fine play, they lack the humility to give the guy props. Too worried about their own self image, or just want to move on and forget that one. And too often the guy who instigated the play is ready to brag or do some dance. In this rare instance we saw the best of both players: Gatling giving Kemp his respect and Kemp accepting it in a very noble manner.
To see the opposite of what I mean, just watch the #1 dunk. Kemp dunks over a guy, knocks him to the ground, and then points at the guy lying on the ground with both hands before running back downcourt.