6’2 Abdoul Bamba 1996 DUNK REVOLUTION

4 years before Vince Carter, 6’2 Abdoul Bamba single handedly elevated freestyle dunking into nothing short of its own sport. While Vince Carter brought dunking back to national relevance in 2000, we in America were totally oblivious that France was having a dunk revolution of their own all the way back in 1996. In this contest, Bamba introduced the cartwheel and handstand - dunks that were so shocking in 1996 that they became the finale dunk for dunk shows even in today’s generation. While the NBA was showcasing repeat dunks from Brent Barry and a between the legs from Kobe, France was displaying a level way ahead of its time. Slam Nation became famous all over France. Bamba and Ziani were probably the two biggest single pioneers for freestyle dunking, and their impact cannot be overstated. The 1996 Orchies dunk contest featured Bamba, Saloman Sami, Ziani, Nasser Soule, Laurent Cazalon, Benjamin Bambara to name a level that was so high that it started the Slam Nation. More fro