Josh Smith

Josh Smith

Joshua Smith (born December 5, 1985 in College Park, Georgia) is an American professional basketball player with the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. Josh was one of five kids born to Paulette and Pete Smith. His siblings are Walter, Phebe, Kasola and Shanti. His popular nickname is "J-Smoove".

Attended John McEachern High School. For his senior year, Smith transferred to Oak Hill Academy. In High School, received the Academic Award at Oak Hill for the highest grade point average maintained during the 2003-04 season.

Having entered the league straight out of high school, Smith has publicly disagreed with the rule change that prohibited high school players from entering the NBA Entry Draft.

Smith was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 17th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.

He won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest his rookie year during the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend. He averaged 9.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.95 blocks per game for the 2004-2005 season and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. For the 2005-06 season, Smith averaged 2.25 blocks per game, ranking seventh in the NBA.

After the NBA All-Star Weekend, he continued his steady development. He finished second in the NBA in total blocks, 4th in blocks per game and averaged 15.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 4.1 apg, 3.1 bpg and 1.0 spg after the All-Star break and his contribution helped the Hawks double their win total of 13 wins from the previous season to finish 26-56.

On March 3, 2007, Smith broke the 500-block mark, making him the youngest player to do so in NBA history. Smith ended the 2006-2007 season with 16.4 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.9 blocks, dramatically improving on his previous season's stats. Leading the Hawks after Joe Johnson's season-ending injury, Smith produced a career high 32 points and 19 rebounds in Johnson's absence. He eclipsed this mark on November 17, 2007 with a new career high of 38 points on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks.

On August 8, 2008, Smith signed an offer sheet to play with the Memphis Grizzlies, but the Hawks quickly matched the offer sheet. Smith was told by Atlanta to go out as a restricted free agent to test the market, putting the pressure on Smith to essentially go out and set his price.

To the top

Josh Smith (soccer)

Josh Smith (born August 30, 1982 in Dallas, Texas) is an American soccer midfielder who currently plays for the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL Second Division. He was the 2003 NCAA Division III Player of the Year.

Smith attended Trinity University, playing on the men’s NCAA Division III soccer team from 2000 to 2003. He was a 2001 third team and a 2002 and 2003 first team Division III All American. He was also selected as the 2003 NSCAA Division III Player of the Year as Trinity won the Division III National Championship.

In 2004, he turned professional with the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division. After two seasons in Charleston, he moved to the Atlanta Silverbacks for the 2006 season. Smith lost the 2007 season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. In 2008, he joined the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL Second Division.

To the top

Josh Smith (artist)

Josh Smith (born 1976) is an artist based in New York.

Smith was born in Tennessee. His main body of work consists of paintings featuring his own name. Smith uses his name as a base for building abstract imagery. He also makes books and collages.

Smith attended Miami University from 1994-1996 and University of Tennessee from 1996-1998.

To the top

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Hawks are coached by Mike Woodson, who is in his fifth season at the helm.

The franchise was formed in 1946 as the National Basketball League's Buffalo Bisons. The Bisons featured center Don Otten and coach Nat Hickey, but on December 27, 1946 - only thirteen games into their inaugural season - owner Ben Kerner moved the team to Moline, Illinois (See Buffalo Memorial Auditorium) and renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in the Quad Cities area. The Tri-Cities were Moline, Rock Island, IL, and Davenport, IA. The Tri-Cities Blackhawks were named after the Black Hawk War that was mostly fought in Illinois. The Blackhawks became one of the National Basketball Association's 17 original teams after a merger in 1949 of the 12-year-old NBL and the four-year-old Basketball Association of America. The Blackhawks reached the playoffs in the NBA's inaugural year, under the leadership of coach Red Auerbach. However, the following season, after the team drafted Bob Cousy and made the blunder of trading his rights to the Chicago Stags (who would later surrender him in a dispersal draft to the Boston Celtics after they folded), they failed to qualify for the postseason. In 1951, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee, WI, and became the Hawks. In 1953, the Hawks drafted Bob Pettit, a future NBA MVP. Despite this, the Hawks were one of the league's worst teams, and in 1955 the Hawks moved yet again, this time to St. Louis, MO.

In 1957, the team advanced to the 1957 NBA Finals, losing to the Boston Celtics in a double-overtime thriller in game seven. In 1958, the Hawks again advanced to the NBA Finals under coach Alex Hannum and captured their only NBA Championship in game 6 against the Celtics.

The Hawks remained one of the NBA's premier teams for the next decade. In 1960, under coach Ed Macauley, the team advanced to the Finals yet again, but lost—again to the Celtics—in yet another game seven thriller. The following year, with the acquisition of rookie Lenny Wilkens, the Hawks repeated their success, but met the Celtics in the Finals again and lost in five games.

The next few years the Hawks remained contenders, every year advancing deep into the playoffs and also capturing several division titles. Despite the success, Kerner became wary of the now-aging 10,000-seat Kiel Auditorium. The Hawks occasionally played at the St. Louis Arena (mostly against popular opponents), but Kerner was not willing to move the team there full-time because it hadn't been well-maintained since the 1940s. Kerner wanted a new arena to increase revenue. However, he was rebuffed by the city on several occasions. In 1968, the team was sold to Atlanta real estate developer Tom Cousins and Georgia Governor Carl Sanders and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. While a new arena was being constructed, the team spent its first four seasons playing in Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Cousins' firm soon developed the Omni Coliseum, a 16,500-seat, state-of-the-art downtown Atlanta arena, for the Hawks and the expansion Atlanta Flames hockey franchise, which opened in 1972 as the first phase of a massive sports, office, hotel and retail complex, most of which is now the CNN Center.

The years after the move showcased a talented Hawks team, including Pete Maravich, and Lou Hudson. However, after this period of success, the Hawks experienced years of rebuilding. The rebuilding process appeared to be the right direction when they ended up with the 1st and 3rd picks overall in the 1975 NBA Draft. However, it took a turn for the worse when draft picks David Thompson and Marvin Webster both signed on with ABA franchises.

In 1976 Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner bought the team and hired Hubie Brown to become head coach. In 1980, the Hawks finished with 50 wins and won the Central Division. In 1982, the franchise acquired superstar Dominique Wilkins and promoted Mike Fratello to head coach a year later. From 1985–89, the Hawks were among the league's elite, winning 50 games or more each season. However, the team could not advance past the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs, losing to eventual Eastern conference and/or NBA champions in Boston and Detroit. After several seasons of mediocrity, Lenny Wilkens was hired as head coach in 1993. In the 1993–94 season, coach Wilkens led the team to 57 victories, tying a team record. However, the team fell short again in the playoffs, losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern semis in six games. The season was also marred with the trading of Dominique Wilkins, who remains the franchise all-time leading scorer, for Danny Manning, who quickly left via free agency to Phoenix after the season ended. In 1995, coach Wilkens broke the record (previously held by coach Red Auerbach) for most victories by an NBA head coach with victory number 939. Despite a couple of 50+ win seasons afterward, the Hawks were quickly ousted from the playoffs on both occasions, which led to further apathy by local fans who quickly grew accustomed to Hawk failures in the playoffs.

In 1999, the Hawks traded Steve Smith to Portland for Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson. Smith had been one of the Hawks' most popular players during the 1990s and had recently been awarded the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his charitable endeavors. By contrast, Rider had a history of behavioral problems both on and off the court. Rider's troubled conduct continued after his arrival in Atlanta. Rider missed the first day of training camp and was late for two games. After reports that he smoked marijuana in an Orlando hotel room during a January road trip, the league demanded that he attend drug counseling, and fined him a total of $200,000 until he agreed to go. When he showed up late for a March game, the Hawks released him. . The Hawks later traded Jackson away the following season. In every season since the Smith/Rider trade, the Hawks have found themselves at or near the bottom of the NBA standings.

In 2001, Atlanta Hawks drafted Spanish Pau Gasol at 3rd pick overall, but his rights were ceded to the Vancouver Grizzlies in a trade involving Shareef Abdur-Rahim. In February 2004, the Hawks had the distinction of having NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace play one game for the team. Wallace was traded from Portland to the Hawks along with Wesley Person for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff, and Dan Dickau. In his lone game for the Hawks, Wallace scored 20 points, had 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists and a steal in a loss to the New Jersey Nets. After the game he was dealt to the Detroit Pistons in a three-way trade with the Boston Celtics. In turn, Detroit sent guard Bobby Sura, center Zeljko Rebraca, and a first-round draft pick to the Hawks. The Boston Celtics also sent forward Chris Mills to Atlanta to complete the deal.

In March 2004, the team was sold to a group of executives by the name of Atlanta Spirit LLC by Time Warner (who inherited the Hawks and Braves upon its merger with Turner Broadcasting in 1996), along with the Atlanta Thrashers pro ice hockey team, with which the Hawks share the Philips Arena, which replaced the Omni. After the change in ownership, though, the Hawks still struggled. In the 2004–05 season, the Hawks gained the notorious reputation of the league's worst team with a mere 13 victories (five less than even the expansion Charlotte Bobcats and the struggling New Orleans Hornets). Despite their league-worst record though, the Hawks only landed the number two pick in the 2005 NBA Draft (the first pick went to the Milwaukee Bucks). With the second pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected Marvin Williams of the University of North Carolina. The previous year, the Hawks drafted Josh Childress and Josh Smith from the 2004 Draft and Salim Stoudamire in the second round of the 2005 Draft. In the 2006 Draft, the Hawks selected former Duke star Shelden Williams with the fifth overall pick.

However, despite the recent influx of talent acquired in the draft, they still hold the longest drought of not drafting an All-Star or Pro Bowl player in North American pro sports (23 years), going back to their 1984 selection of Kevin Willis.

In the summer of 2005, the Hawks completed a sign-trade deal with the Phoenix Suns that landed Atlanta Joe Johnson in return for Boris Diaw and two future 1st round picks. They also signed Zaza Pachulia from the Milwaukee Bucks. These changes occurred after an apparent power struggle between the owners for nearly three weeks before the moves were made. . Unfortunately, while the power struggle over Johnson has been resolved, the ownership situation remains in flux, with litigation still ongoing.

When the Golden State Warriors qualified for the 2007 NBA Playoffs, the Hawks acquired the dubious distinction of being the NBA team that had gone the most consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. (Eight in a row, see Active NBA non-playoff appearance streaks). They also held the dubious distinctions of most consecutive 50-loss seasons (four) and the having the 2nd longest run (behind the Rochester/Cincinnati/Kansas City/Sacramento Kings) of not winning an NBA title (49 years). All of the franchise's NBA Finals appearances and lone NBA championship took place over 40 years ago when the team resided in St. Louis. Meanwhile, they have yet to advance beyond the second round of any playoff format in their entire Atlanta existence, which now spans 39 seasons.

However, hope and redemption appeared to be on the horizon for the Hawks in 2007. With the third pick of the NBA draft, they selected Al Horford from the Florida Gators. They also acquired, from the Indiana Pacers, the 11th pick of the draft, which they used to select Acie Law IV from Texas A&M University.

The season started brightly as they won the season opener against the Dallas Mavericks 101–94, sending hope to Hawks fans. In addition, the last time they won a season opener was 1998, the last time the franchise made the playoffs.

But once again, the Hawks organization made dubious headlines when the NBA granted the first appeal of a protested game in 25 years on January 11, 2008. The Miami Heat protested a scoring error during the clubs' December 19, 2007 contest. Due to a communications error, the Hawks official scorer had erroneously assessed a sixth foul on Heat center Shaquille O'Neal with 51.9 seconds remaining in overtime, disqualifying him from the game. The Hawks, who had won that game by a 117–111 margin, were stripped of the victory. On March 8, 2008, both teams replayed the final 51.9 seconds of the game as the Hawks won 114–111. The replay was held a few weeks after O'Neal had been traded to the Phoenix Suns from the Miami Heat. Atlanta also won the regular season game. For the 2007–08 season, the Atlanta Hawks changed their colors and uniforms to navy blue, red and white, which marks the first time since their days in St. Louis that they wore those colors.

On February 16, 2008 Atlanta acquired guard Mike Bibby from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright and a 2008 second round draft pick.

On April 14, 2008, despite having a 37–45 record, the Hawks clinched their first playoff berth since the 1998–99 season, and in the first round surprised the favored Boston Celtics, the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference and eventual NBA champion, by pushing the series to seven games. The Hawks won all three games in Philips Arena before falling in Boston 99-65 in game seven.

On May 7, 2008 Billy Knight resigned as general manager being effective July 1, 2008. Knight said it was time to "take a break" following a season when his authority appeared to be weakened by unsuccessful lobbying with owners to fire coach Mike Woodson.

These are the Atlanta Hawks uniforms worn since the 2007-08 season.

Hagan, Pettit, Macauley, Lenny Wilkens, and Bob Ferry, all of whom played for the Hawks in St. Louis, have been inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

To the top

NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest

The Slam Dunk Contest is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was inaugurated by the American Basketball Association (ABA) at its All-Star Game in 1976 in Denver, just as the slam dunk was legalized in the NCAA. It enabled players to showcase their dunking skills and try to "out-dunk" each other. However, this contest would be short-lived as the ABA-NBA merger took place later that year. Realizing the popularity of slam dunks, the NBA soon created a contest of its own, which made its first appearance in 1984. The contest currently uses fan voting, via text-messaging, to determine the winner. The current sponsor of the event is Sprite, an American soft-drink.

The very first slam dunk contest was won by Julius Erving at the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. The current champion of the NBA Dunk Contest is Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks.

The NBA reintroduced the Slam Dunk Contest in 1984 at its birthplace in Denver. Erving's dunk from the free throw line that year remains one of the most memorable slam dunks in NBA history. Dominique Wilkins won the contest the following year, but in 1986 his Atlanta Hawks teammate Spud Webb made history when he defeated Wilkins in the final, preventing him from retaining his title. Standing a mere 5 feet 7 inches tall, Webb became the shortest player ever to win the contest, a distinction that he holds to this day. As the eighties came to a close, Chicago's Michael Jordan established himself as perhaps the greatest dunker of all time, after an epic battle with Wilkins to win his second of back-to-back dunk contest victories in 1987 and 1988.

The Slam Dunk Contest had always been a big hit with fans, but interest in the contest began to wane in the mid-1990s. Initially, it was due to the fact that many players lost interest in competing; some cited concerns of injuries, while others felt that the full repertoire of humanly-possible dunks had already been exhausted. With most of the superstars choosing not to participate, lesser-known players began to compete, leading to watered-down competitions. Fans complained that players were beginning to win contests with boring or unoriginal dunks (witness the relatively forgettable early-90s wins by the likes of Harold Miner, Cedric Ceballos, and Brent Barry). In 1994 and 1997 respectively, young players Isaiah Rider and Kobe Bryant won the contest, but the rest of the competition offered little variety to their dunks, which quickly led to fan criticism of the contest. As a result, the 1998 All-Star Weekend did not feature a dunk contest, replacing the event with a shooting competition called "2Ball". In 1999, there was no All-Star Game due to the NBA lockout.

After a two season layoff, the NBA decided to bring the contest back for the 2000 All-Star Weekend in Oakland, CA. It would prove to be one of the most electrifying dunk contests in the league's history, featuring a great showdown between eventual winner Vince Carter, his cousin Tracy McGrady, and Steve Francis (Carter won after performing a number of very impressive dunks, including a reverse 360 windmill, honey dip, and a between-the-legs dunk off of a bounced alley-oop). However, the next four contests did not feature superstars like Carter and Bryant, and again there was talk that perhaps the contest should be eliminated. The main argument was that players could not really come up with any more dunks that people had never seen before, despite arguably innovative efforts by Jason Richardson in 2003 and 2004. The lack of A-list superstars willing to participate also hurt the appeal of the contest to fans.

In 2005, the Slam Dunk Contest returned to its birthplace in Denver and was reborn. With the spectacular dunks of that year's contest, there was buzz that the dunk competition could regain the popularity it had in the 1980s. Amare Stoudemire alley-ooping 360 off a soccer-style header from teammate Steve Nash; J.R. Smith putting it around his back and dunking, and the new champion, Josh Smith alley-ooping over Kenyon Martin all wowed the crowd with their maneuvers. With the change in the rules requiring an additional teammate starting in the second round, they proved that there were indeed many dunks that people had not done before. Stoudemire and J.R. Smith showed off original dunks that they had spent much time working on. Josh Smith received rave reviews when he did a tribute dunk to Dominique Wilkins while donning Wilkins' jersey. Smith's top dunk, arguably one of the best in recent history, shows him hovering over a seated Kenyon Martin as he glides through the air to the basket.

Again in 2006, the Dunk Contest in Houston, Texas revitalized the interests of audiences as 5'9" Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks took the title with a great dunk-off. One of his most exciting dunks was a high-flying dunk over former Slam Dunk Contest winner, 5'7" Spud Webb. The 2006 Slam Dunk Contest was also the first Dunk Contest in history to have a "Dunk Off", the equivalent to a Dunk Contest overtime, between Knicks point guard Nate Robinson and shooting guard Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers. Many fans argue that Iguodala should have won the contest, one of the reasons being that Robinson needed seventeen attempts before finally completing his dunk. Iguodala also pulled off a dunk where he started out of bounds from the right side of the baseline. Teammate Allen Iverson bounced the ball off the back of the right side of the backboard, then Iguodala caught the ball in mid-air behind the backboard, whirled around to the other side while ducking his head (to avoid colliding with the backboard) and dunked it with his right hand.

On February 17, 2007, the contest was held in Las Vegas. Judges for the event were all past winners: Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant, Julius Erving, and Vince Carter. The title was taken by the Boston Celtics' Gerald Green, who, among other dunks, jumped over reigning champ Nate Robinson while covering his face - a homage to 1991 winner, Dee Brown, whose jersey Green had worn. He also scored a perfect fifty with his last slam, a windmill over a table. Other noteworthy dunks include a dunk by Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, who, while making his dunk, stuck a sticker with his smiling face and his favorite verse from the Bible on the backboard a reported 12'6" from the ground, two and a half feet beyond the regulation NBA rim.

On February 16, 2008, the contest was held in New Orleans. Judges for the event included Darryl Dawkins, Dominique Wilkins, Karl Malone, the winner of the first-ever Slam Dunk Contest, Julius Erving, and Magic Johnson. The title was taken by Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, who had participated in the 2007 event. Howard's most noteworthy dunk came during the first round, his second dunk overall, when he took off his jersey to reveal a Superman t-shirt and attached a cape with teammate Jameer Nelson's assistance. He would then make a leaping dunk from just in front of the free-throw line after a running start (he actually didn't carry the ball all the way to the rim, instead throwing the ball through the rim from a few feet away). Other noteworthy dunks included the first round slam by Jamario Moon while the previous year's winner, Gerald Green, relied heavily on theatrics by blowing out a cupcake with a birthday candle on the rim before dunking (a jam he termed "The Birthday Cake"). For the first time ever, fan voting determined the outcome of the contest; Howard beat Green for the trophy by claiming 78% of the fans' votes.

Nate Robinson won the 2009 contest on Feb. 14 in Phoenix. The 5'9" guard dressed all in green as "Krypto-Nate" ( a portmanteau of 'Nate' and Kryptonite ) and jumped over 6'11" Dwight Howard characterized as Superman. He defeated Howard in the finals by a fan vote of 52-48 percent. J. R. Smith, and Rudy Fernández also competed.

Over the history of the event, there have been 18 players who have been crowned the best dunkers in the NBA. Of those 18, five are two-time winners including: Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Harold Miner, Jason Richardson and, most recently, Nate Robinson.

1988 Ron Harper (Cleveland) was to participate but withdrew due to injury.

1991 Beginning with this year, final round competitors were allowed three dunks, with the two highest scores comprising the total.

1993 The two highest score dunks of three in each round comprised the competitor's score. Shawn Kemp (Seattle) was scheduled to compete but was injured.

1994 In the first round, each competitor was allowed 90 seconds to do as many dunks as he chooses with one overall score. The final round score was the best of two dunks.

1995 Beginning with this year, each competitor was allowed 90 seconds to do at least three dunks and then given an overall score in round one. In the final round, each competitor was allowed 60 seconds to do at least two dunks and then given an overall score.

1998 No competition was held.

1999 No competition was held as All-Star Weekend was not held due to the NBA's lockout.

2000 Beginning with this year, the two highest dunks in each round comprised the competitor's total score.

2002 A tournament format was adopted for this year.

2008 The final round was decided by fan voting via text messaging.

2009 The final round was decided by fan voting via text messaging.

Windmill dunks are done when a player makes a circular motion with the ball while in the air before dunking it. These can either be done with one or two hands. Versions of this dunk include the Kiss the Rim, the reverse windmill (usually done with two hands), and the 360 windmill. Notable examples of this dunk are Dominique Wilkins's windmills during the 1988 and 1990 contest, Michael Jordan's kiss the rim during the 1987 and 1988 contest, Vince Carter's contest-winning reverse 360 windmill in the 2000 contest, and James White's windmill from the free throw line in the 2006 NCAA Dunk Contest.

360s, or "axles" (relative to spinning) are dunks where a player spins with his body for almost a full revolution. This type of dunk can be achieved by using one or two hands. There are many variations of the 360, including the reverse 360 windmill by Vince Carter in the 2000 slam dunk (where a player jumps in a reverse motion against his plain of motion), Terence Stansbury's "Statue of Liberty" 360, Air Up There's 720, or double-axle, High Riser's 360 through the legs, the double pump 360 by Tracy McGrady in the 2000 slam dunk contest, Team Flight Brothers dunker Quinton Slaughter AKA Elevator's 540, and many more.

As the name indicates, this is a dunk where the player jumps from the free throw line. The free throw line is, in the NBA, 15 feet away from the basket. Jim Pollard is known to have dunked from the foul line during warmups in the early years of the NBA. At the University of Kansas, Wilt Chamberlain was able to dunk from the free throw line while starting his movement from within the free throw circle; this led to a rule change prohibiting shooting free throws by dunking the basketball.

Notable examples of this dunk in a slam dunk competition are Julius Erving during the 1976 ABA contest and the 1984 NBA contest, Michael Jordan during the 1985, 1987 and 1988 contests, Scottie Pippen during the 1990 contest, Brent Barry during the 1996 contest, and former Cincinnati Bearcat James White, who has pulled off at least 5 free-throw-line jams in his contest career (in addition to a between-the-legs free throw line dunk made during his high school's midnight madness practice session).

Also known as "through the legs", or the "Rider" dunk (after Isaiah Rider, the first dunk champion to perform this dunk). This dunk was first performed by Orlando Woolridge of the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 dunk contest. For this dunk the ball goes between the legs of the player while in the air before being dunked. Visually impressive, these usually achieve a high score from the judges. Notable examples of this dunk include Kobe Bryant's winning jam at the 1997 contest, Vince Carter's off the floor, between the legs slam during the 2000 contest, Desmond Mason's "show it right, slam it left" between the legs during the 2003 contest, and Jason Richardson's off the glass, between the legs dunk during the 2004 contest, and Isaiah Rider's "East Bay Funk Dunk" in the 1994 contest.

Nowadays, the "Rider" has been developed beyond just its basic through-the-legs movement. Several people in the world have managed to do a 360 Rider : Abdoul Bamba and Guy Dupuy from the Slam Nation dunking troupe, Yann de Blaine of Slam Nation and Dunkalicious dunking crews, Taurian Fontenette aka Air Up There from the AND 1 Streetball team, "High Riser" from the 2005 City Slam, and Quinton Slaughter (also known as "Elevator"). An alley-oop-off-the-floor 360 between the legs was attempted by Jason Richardson in the 2004 Slam Dunk Contest, but he couldn't successfully finish the dunk, leading to his defeat by then-Indiana Pacers guard Fred Jones. James White, currently of the San Antonio Spurs, attempted a through the legs dunk from the free throw line during the college slam dunk contest. Although he was not successful during the contest, he did succeed in doing it during warm-ups, and had done it in the past, during his high school's midnight madness, and the high school dunk contest.

A "double clutch" (or "double pump") dunk is a dunk when a player brings the ball back to his body before extending the ball back out to dunk it. Versions of this dunk include the kickback, the jackknife, and the double pump. Most times the ball is brought back near the player's head before being dunked. Notable examples include Michael Jordan's double clutch, free throw line dunk from the 1988 contest, Tracy McGrady's 360 reverse double pump from the 2000 contest, Steve Francis's double pump, kiss the rim from the 2000 contest, Shawn Kemp's kickback from the 1991 contest, and Harold Miner's reverse jackknife from the 1993 contest. Vince Carter's spectacular dunk over Alonzo Mourning during the 2005-06 season also featured elements of the double-clutch.

Also known as Rock the Baby. This is a version of the windmill where the ball is "locked" into a player's wrist while the player makes a circular motion with the ball. However, unlike windmills where the ball starts the circle from the top, rock the baby dunks start the circle from the bottom. Notable examples include Larry Nance's rock the baby during the 1984 contest, Kenny Walker's baseline rock the baby during the 1989 contest, and Michael Jordan's rock the cradle jam in the 1985 contest. Jordan also had an in game dunk he called the "Magazine Dunk" that he started doing while at the University of North Carolina. Dr. J, Julius Erving, had a memorable in game cradle dunk over Michael Cooper, in the 1980 NBA Finals.

Off the back board is another popular type of dunk. The player throws the ball and bounces it off the backboard, catches it in mid air and dunks it. This can be combined with other types such as the windmill, reverse or tomahawk dunk. One of the first uses of this dunk in a professional game was done by Tracy McGrady in the 2002 All-Star Game. According to Bill Walton, it was the first time he ever saw this kind of dunk, although the dunk had been previously done in a high school all star game in 2001 by future University of Illinois star Luther Head. In recent years, many other "alley-oop" dunks have become commonplace in the contest, where either the player tosses the ball to himself, or a teammate passes it to him, and the player catches it in the air and dunks it. For instance in 2006, Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers performed a never-before-seen behind the backboard dunk from a pass off team-mate Allen Iverson. A year earlier, in the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest, Amare Stoudemire actually caught the ball off of the head of Steve Nash, which is perhaps the most unusual variation of the "alley-oop" style of dunk to date. Perhaps the next evolutionary step for this move is the "off the shot clock" dunk, a similar concept but more difficult because the clock is smaller, sits higher, and gives bounces that are not as true as the backboard.

One particularly tricky and therefore seldom-seen dunk is the dunk without visual cues. In 1991, Dee Brown performed a one-handed slam dunk in which he dunked with his left arm while shielding his eyes with his right arm. This was known as the "peek-a-boo" by many. One year later, Cedric Ceballos performed a blindfolded dunk, although it has been disputed as to whether or not he could actually see. In 2007, Boston Celtic Gerald Green, re-invented Dee Brown's "shielded eyes dunk" (wearing Dee Brown's throwback jersey and Reebok pumps), adding a twist to it by jumping over defending champ Nate Robinson (it was supposed to be a cardboard cutout of Nate Robinson) before completing the dunk.

To the top

Mariposa (fictional town)

Mariposa is a fictional Canadian town created by Stephen Leacock as the setting for a series of short stories. They were originally commissioned by The Montreal Star newspaper and later collected and published in one volume as Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Since then, many attempts have been made to expand the cannon, present it in a different form or make reference to it.

Although the author publicly denied it, the town is closely modelled on the very real town of Orillia, Ontario and its inhabitants. He named it after one or more nearby communities, which had borne versions of that name in real life, which have since become extinct: Mariposa Township and Mariposa unincorporated place, and Mariposa Beach. Leacock was a professor of political economy at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, but he had a summer home at Old Brewery Bay. The names of the characters in the stories were altered to avoid potential libel lawsuits when the stories were published in book form in 1912.

The remainder of this article will provide information on Mariposa in the form of a regular geographic entry as if it really existed, with references to the facts associated with the non-fictional models.

Mariposa, Ontario, nicknamed Hull Town, is situated between Lake Ossawippi and Lake Wissanotti (modelled on Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, although with features that radically depart from both). The Ossawippi River joins these two lakes, and the Lower Ossawippi River feeds into the northern end of Lake Wissanotti. The community is located on the Canadian Shield and hence the soil is rocky and supports mostly slow-growing evergreen trees.

Politically, Marpiosa is located in Missinaba County (modelled on Simcoe County and possibly taking its name from the Missinaibi River near Chapleau, Ontario) which was surveyed in a grid pattern. The town is the metropolis of surrounding rural Tecumseh Township (modelled on Tecumseth Township in Simcoe County), from which it was created in the 19th century, and serves as the judicial district but not county seat. It is only one hundred miles north of the provincial metropolis (modelled on Toronto).

The official census conducted by the federal government lists a population of about five thousand, not counting outlying districts such as Tecumseh Corners, Nichols Corners, Third Concession and Fourth Concession. Other ordinarily reliable sources, including the local agent for the collection of Ontario's vital statistics and the town's two newspapers, estimate that the population is as high as nearly ten thousand.

The ethnic origins of most residents are from the British Isles, the descendants of whom have overwhelmed the indigenous Missinabi population. Major sources of in migration are the Maritime provinces, northern Ontario and Massachusetts. Major destinations of out migration, especially for educational and economic reasons, are the nearby provincial metropolis.

Mariposans follow diverse Christian denominations according to their ethnic origins, but the Anglicans are clearly most dominant, followed in no particular order by Presbyterians, Salvationists, Methodists and Roman Catholics. Mallory Thomkins of the Times-Herald newspaper is the only outspoken agnostic or atheist.

There are several sectors of the economy, and each will be discussed in turn.

Mariposa was attractive to its first inhabitants as a source of primary industries. Swampy areas near the Ossawippi River and nearby shallow reedy areas on Lake Wissanotti itself provided excellent homes for waterfowl and excellent killing grounds for duck hunters. Both fowl and human feasted on abundant bass, chub and the native maskinonge (piscis mariposis) fish.

The townsite was occupied by pine and hemlock woods and its reduced remains still ring the town. Choice hardwoods like elm and maple are south of Marpiosa, while north of town are tamarack and willow. Although Mariposa is south of Spanish River lumber country, it still maintains a planing factory or sawmill on the lakeshore near the railway siding and every spring there is a huge influx of rough lumbermen.

In the immediate vicinity of Mariposa, there are some fair crop farms, but in the extremities of Tecumseh Township and Missinaba County, forbidding rocks, fetid swamps and dense forests of the north country of the Canadian or Laurentian Shield make the soil large scale cultivation of grains or fruits impractical. Livestock farming is somewhat more successful, and the Mariposa Packing Company is always kept busy.

Excluding the sawmill, there is very little industry in town, notably only the Mariposa Carriage Co. This may be partly explained by the erratic nature of the distribution of hydro-electric power generated by the dam on the Lower Ossiwipi River nineteen miles (30 km) north at the rapids.

Only on official occasions is the forty or so foot wide bustling downtown thoroughfare of Mariposa called by its proper name, Missinaba Street (after the county and based on Mississaga Street in Orillia), rather than Main Street. Among the many shops there are Pharmaceutical Hall (Jim Eliot’s drug store), Pete Glover and Alf McNichol's co-located hardware and paint stores and Ed Moore’s photo shop. Similarly, services downtown include lawyers, doctors, dentists, Jefferson "Jeff" Thorpe's barbershop and, when it is all over, Golgotha Gingham's funeral home.

Mariposa boasts two branches of major banks: the Commercial Bank (modelled on what is now the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) and the Exchange Bank (modelled on what is now the National Bank of Canada). Robertson’s Coal and Wood Office was divided to serve as Mariposa Mining Exchange during the investment boom in junior mining companies.

Thorpe earned 5312% profit after investing in Northern Star mine in northern Ontario. Trying to continue his financial success, he invested his profits in the Cuban Land Development Company whose corporate headquarters was a P.O. box in New York City. Unfortunately, police discovered this to be a fraud and Thorpe lost not only his own money but undertook to repay Mariposans whom he had help to invest in the dubious scheme.

In recent years, tourism has become the backbone of the town as city folk take the short train trip north. Town architecture is preserved and enhanced, mainly through the activity of hotelier Josh Smith who not only rebuilt and expanded his own property but also replaced the façade of the Anglican church.

Smith's hotel has long been a fixture of the town, and when he bought it around 1908. The hotel has borne many names both before and after his acquisition of it, in approximate order: the Royal Hotel, the Queen’s Hotel, the Alexandria Hotel, Smith’s Ladies’ and Gent’s (sic) Café, Smith’s Summer Pavilion, Smith’s Tourists’ Emporium, Smith’s Northern Health Resort, Smith’s Northern Health Resort and Home of the Wissanotti Angler, and Smith's British Arms.

Clearly, Josh Smith dominates the hospitality industry, but visitors may also stay at the Continental Hotel, operated by Pete Robinson, or Mariposa House, containing a billiard room. There are also seven short-stay cottages located along Lake Wissanotti.

Although it is a small town located in a rural county, Mariposa maintains close connections with the rest of Ontario, Canada and the world. The downtown post office, with Alf Trelawney as its postmaster, served impartially under Liberal government of Alexander Mackenzie as well as the Conservative government of John A. Macdonald.

The town took to advanced technology very early, having a telephone exchange staffed with four women operators in 1912. The telegraph office, operated by Billy Rawson, linked Mariposa by telegraph wires along Main Street to the nearby county seat (modelled on Barrie) and the provincial metropolis.

For such a small town, the fourth estate is amply represented by two widely read newspapers (modelled on the Orillia Packet-Times and the Owen Sound Sun-Times). The Mariposa Newspacket supports the Conservative Party and its editor wears his blue temperance ribbon of the Knights of Pythias. The Mariposa Times-Herald supports the Liberal Party and its editor published the famous partisan screed from Patriotus Canadiensis.

Mariposa has good transportation networks. Rail transit is provided by the transcontinental trains which roll through the town, usually at night. Unfortunately, scruffy miners and coiffed millionaires from the city rarely stop to offload or load. For that, one must board the Mariposa Local which links the town to the city one hundred miles to the south.

Once commercial travellers from the city arrive from the 6:30 a.m. express train, or before they wish to leave the Main Street hotel strip to catch the 5:30 p.m. train to the city, they take the hotel shuttle into downtown. Otherwise, there is no common carrier public transit in town so even bank employees use their feet or bicycles.

Since 1972, the stationary dining cars of the Ossawippi Express have served as a reminder of the area's proud railway history, and given residents and visitors a classy place to eat out.

Mariposa Belle was the name of its notoriously unseaworthy steamship which cruised at 4 mph (6.4 km/h). Its only scheduled departures from the wharf built by the federal government were for scenic cruises on May 24 and July 1 (that is, Victoria Day and Canada Day). Many locals and visitors took chartered day excursions twenty miles (32 km) north to Indian Island (modelled on Georgina Island Indian reseve on Lake Simcoe and Chiefs Island of the Rama Indian Reserve on Lake Couchiching) on Lake Wissanotti. Locals groups, including Knights of Pythias and Sons of Temperance, also take day trips to local option dry townships in Missinaba County.

In 1987, a new paddlewheeled cruise ship also called Mariposa Belle began operating in Toronto. In contrast to its namesake, conspicuous and considerable consumption of food and alcohol is the sole purpose of this ship.

Judicial oversight is provided by Judge Philip Pepperleigh, a staunch Conservative, has sat on the bench of the Mariposa Court House for years since emigrating from the Maritimes. Sometimes, it seems more like judicial oversight when he ignores the arguments of Macartney, the prosecuting (i.e., Crown) attorney. For example, Pepperleigh acquitted his own son for hitting a prominent Liberal and fined publican Josh Smith for not opening his bar after hours to accommodate His Honour.

The greatest threat to public safety is fire, so the volunteer fire brigade was organized by townsmen. Its lone fire engine is parked at the Fire Hall at the main intersection, and both are funded by proceeds of the Firemen’s Ball held each winter.

The only other safety and health organizations in town are the marine life station on Lake Wissanotti and the Mariposa Hospital. The former's 14-man Mackinaw rescue boat was rescued by the Mariposa Belle when both sank. The latter's source of income is almost exclusively public subscription.

However, the greatest source of the threat to public safety proved to be Josh Smith, de facto chief of the volunteer fire department. Witnesses told detectives brought up from Toronto that they saw Smith in suspicious circumstances before a fire destroyed the debt-ridden Anglican church and that only later did he return to organize the fire fighting effort. Nonetheless, Judge Pepperleigh acquitted Smith of arson and insurance fraud.

Other minor officialdom is stabled at the county seat, where the Licence Commissioners grant or withdraw liquor licences based in part on the adherence to an 11 p.m. last call. Undertaker Golgotha Gingham doubles as the provincially appointed collector of vital statistics.

Public education is directed by the School Board which operates several primary schools in the township (e.g., Tecumseh Corners School House and Concession School House) and one high school. Mariposa High School offers a full spectrum of instruction including English literature, drama, music and biology. The Mariposa Mechanics’ Institute, blessed with Gallagher collection donated by one of the town's most learned men, provides adults with opportunities for self-education and continuing education.

Municipal politics are normally sedate, with several leading members of the council and community such as businessman Pete Glover taking turns annually as mayor. The only incumbent known outside the town was Harry J. Boyle, concurrently the chairman of the CBC in 1967. The only moderately controversial feature of municipal politics is the local option on Prohibition, which even temperance organizations sometimes find inconvenient.

However, normally staid federal politics become very important and divisive at election time. Religious solidarity is torn apart. The Rev. Mr. Rupert Drone, the Anglican priest, preaches the Conservative message from his pulpit despite the fact his brother Edward Drone ran as an Independent on an anti-corruption platform. Likewise the Presbyterian minister supports the Conservative Party regardless of the fact that twenty-year veteran Liberal MP John Henry Bagshaw is a co-religionist and is seen as a supporter of that community.

Professional solidarity is also rent asunder, as Judge Pepperleigh is a Conservative, Dr. Gallagher is a Liberal and Dr. Joe Milligan is a Conservative. Business solidarity is also rather tenuous. The Continental Hotel is used as Conservative election headquarters while Mariposa House is used by the Liberals. Prior to the 1911 election, Josh Smith maintained his hotel as a politically multi-partisan (or Independent-Liberal-Conservative-Imperialist) place.

After Smith won his liquor licence back, he gained political favour by operating the best hotel in town and donating $100 to each of the established political parties, the Mariposa Hospital and other worthy charities. He paid the touring amusement ride operator enough cash so that all children could ride for free that day.

Based on his growing popularity, Smith unexpectedly became the conservative candidate in the federal election of 1911. The main election issues were reciprocity and Naval Service, but Smith deftly sat on the fence on these issues. He deftly deflected all the mud the incumbent MP slung his way, and through deft manipulation of the mob mentality and telecommunications Smith achieved an electoral upset by defeating Bagshaw. He was, however, silent in victory.

Culture and entertainment are intimately entwined in Mariposa. They are organized mainly along religious denominational lines but also in secular fraternal and civic societies, so these two components will be treated separately.

The dominant religion is Anglicanism, and the Church of England Church (as it is locally known) is the venue for most Anglican pastimes Its programs include the Mother’s Auxiliary, the Girls Auxiliary, the Infants School, the Book Club, the Bible Study Class, a choir, and Willing Workers of the Church of England and its youth wing the Early Workers’ Guild.

Dean Drone has served the church since about 1870, but his financial acumen is dubious. When he tore down the original stone church and erected a wooden replacement, the debt crushed the congregation. The Whirlwind Campaign designed to retire debt achieved only 0.04% of its ambitious $250,000 goal. The lay leadership including Gingham, Nivens and Mullins forced Drone to accept a curate to take over most of his duties, except the Infants School.

Protestants are also active on the Mariposa cultural and religious scene. The Salvation Army conducts its street ministry at the main intersection downtown, and solicits funds as Smith's Hotel even though it is the watering hole in town. The Methodist Social has poetry readings, and the Presbyterian Church will even accept Anglicans like Zena Pepperleigh, the district judge's daughter, as curious visitors to its divine services.

Roman Catholics understandably keep a low profile in town, since every July 12th the Orangemen’s Parade is celebrated by Mariposans with flourish. St. Patrick’s Day, St. Andrew’s Day, St. George’s Day, Independence Day and July 1st are also popularly celebrated. Despite the overt activity of the Orangemen, Catholics hold an annual summer picnic at which the Salvation Army band plays. Anglicans are also known to drop in on Catholic masses, but only in the city where their attendance is anonymous and will not lead to social complications.

In addition to overt or primarily religious organizations operating directly as part of the diverse Christian denominations of Mariposa, there are many secular or ecumenical organizations the civic-minded resident may join. The Young Men’s Christian Association offers a physical and spiritual outlet for Mariposians, especially those like bank clerk Peter Pupkin who moved to the town from away.

Organized amateur sports are very popular in Mariposa. One may join the Ball Club, Lacrosse Club, Curling Club, Mariposa Canoe Club, Snow Shoe Club, and the Mariposa Tennis Club (behind Dr. Gallagher's house). Foot races are organized on Indian Island during Mariposa Belle excursions. Sleigh riding , sport fishing and duck hunting are also very popular solitary or small group pastimes.

Music and dancing are incorporated into many secular activities, since these are often very circumscribed if not outright banned in a religious environment (except for the Salvation Army, which makes music a central part of its ministry). The uniformed town band, with at least ten members, plays its coronets every Wednesday in the municipal park. The Mariposa Quartette, the Oddfellows’ Brass Band and the Knights of Pythias band are also active. The fundraising Firemen's Ball is the highlight of the winter social season, eclipsing even the Oyster Supper of Knights of Pythias.

The usual fraternal societies were active in the town: Freemasons, Oddfellows, Foresters. More regional or local cross-denominational or secular organizations are: Knights of Pythias (which has Dean Drone as chaplain), Sons of Temperance (whose members sometimes stray) and Girls’ Friendly Society (since they are barred from the Pythians).

To the top

Alex Karalexis

Alex Karalexis (born 20 September 1977 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a first generation Greek-American mixed martial artist (MMA). His father immigrated to America from Fanari, Greece. Alex was born to Margaret and Peter Karalexis and has two sisters, Demetra Karalexis and Maria Karalexis. He has a professional record of 9 wins and 3 losses. Among other competitions, he has fought in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Traditionally a welterweight, Karalexis has recently dropped from 170 lb. to 155 lb. in order to compete in the lightweight division. His first lightweight bout was on June 3, 2007 at WEC 28, where he defeated Josh Smith by majority decision.

To the top