Well, Gerald Green finished second this year in the Slam Dunk Contest (2008). His birthday cake was sick, but the between the legs without shoes was not necessary, he can do better!
But have you seen Gerald Green’s 2005 summer league dunk in which, like Vince Carter in the 2000 Olympics, he jumped on a 7-footer for the dunk?
What about the 2005 McDonald’s All-American Slam Dunk Contest that he won? And in case you forgot, Green won the NBA Slam Dunk contest in 2007!
In this contest, Green first made a two-handed hit on an alley-oop pass off the side of the backboard from teammate Paul Pierce. He then jumped on fellow finalist Nate Robinson while wearing 1991 dunk champion Dee Brown’s No. 7 Celtics jersey and elbow shielding his eyes in a tribute to Brown’s memorable no-look dunk.
“I knew they were going to be tough, because those guys had the creativity and style to dunk,” Green said of celebrity judges Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and Julius Erving.
“I tried to come out with something they’ve never done before, and I hope they can give me a score.” – Gerard Green
At the end of the contest, G-Money effortlessly jumped over a 3-foot table for a windmill jam.
“That kid’s got some serious jumps,” Nate Robinson said after that dunk, eyes wide. “The boy can fly.”
Gerald Green actually has the highest vertical jump in the NBA so far: 48 inches!
The 6’8”/ 200 lbs. The shooting guard jumps so high that he has to be careful not to hit the hoop with his head! On one occasion in high school, Green was taller than expected and cut his head on the edge.
“If you’re trying to slide, you’ve got to get your footwork right,” Green said. “If you don’t get your footwork right, you won’t accelerate as much or plan as much or go as high as you can.” you need to arrive Then at the height of the dunk, you want to peak. That’s where you want to get the ball to where it needs to be. Sometimes I don’t reach my peak. go a little higher and then I fall. It has happened before. I’m just trying to put the ball in a certain area.” – Gerardo Verde
For now, you may think:
And that? It’s great for him that he can jump so high,
but how can i increase my vertical?
Well, in addition to the great but common exercises like jumping rope, calf raises, and squats, there are some very effective exercises that few people know about:
pushes:
Starting position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and lock your knees. Then jump only using your calves, only bending your ankles. When you land, jump back up as high as possible.
Burns:
Starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, knees closed. Now get on your toes and jump only using your toes.
Laundry Skips:
Take an object, a bag or something, and try to jump sideways on it. It can be between 10 and 20 inches tall. Try to jump as high and far as you can back and forth over the object.
jump power
Jump up and try to bring your left leg towards your chest. Then do the same with the other leg.
For more exercises and crucial things to know about the vertical jump (why often what it “doesn’t” do is more important than what it “does”), take a look at this page. I highly recommend:
http://www.howtodunk.org
P.S.
Did you know that Green plays with only four and a half fingers on his shooting hand? He tore his ring finger on a fingernail when he was about eight years old and doctors were forced to amputate it down to the knuckle.
pps
In case you haven’t already heard, 22-year-old Gerald Green was released by the Houston Rockets…
For more information, take a look at this page:
http://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2008/03/gerald-green-released-by-rockets.html