Shaquille O’Neal decided to resurface this rare clip of Michael Jordan getting dunked on by Dominique Wilkins in 1985. The Big Diesel posted the clip of the two legends on his Instagram stories to remind fans of the absolute dominance of the two NBA legends inside the paint. In fact, the intense rivalry between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins would eventually culminate in the iconic 1988 NBA slam dunk contest.
MJ grew up watching the highlight reels of Dr. J aka Julius Irving enacting innovative methods to dunk the basketball. In his early years, Jordan always wanted to emulate Irving on the basketball court.
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Soon after entering the league in 1984, Michael Jordan established himself as a bona fide superstar. He also stamped his hegemony as a master dunker of the basketball. However, His Airness would face tough competition in the league when it came to putting it down in the paint.
Shaq posts a rare clip of Michael Jordan getting dunked on by Dominique Wilkins
Shaquille O’Neal posted this rare clip of Dominique Wilkins dunking on Michael Jordan to remind everyone of Nique’s fierce dominance in the paint. As it turns out, Wilkins would manage to outshine even Michael Jordan with his iconic dunks.
Notably, Wilkins faced off against Jordan in the 1985 slam dunk contest and secured a convincing victory. However, the Hawks star couldn’t compete in 1987 due to an injury as the Bulls legend bagged the competition.
This culminated in the legendary 1988 slam dunk competition. In fact, the two legends would mesmerize the crowd with their incredible creativity in the air.
In the end, Jordan would secure a very controversial victory through a brilliant dunk from the foul line. On the other hand, Wilkins would have to settle for a disappointing loss after a rim-rattling, two-handed windmill.
Wilkins vs Jordan
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Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins faced off 45 times in the regular season. In terms of head-to-head record, Jordan leads 27-18 with an average of 31.6 points, shooting 52% from the field.
On the other hand, Nique averages 29.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. The nine-time All-Star only played Jordan and the Bulls in 1993 in a losing effort. The two legends would never meet in the postseason again.
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At the end of his career, Jordan finished with six NBA rings, six MVPs, and six Finals MVPs. However, Wilkins failed to secure an NBA championship.