The Slam Dunk Contest is undoubtedly a highlight in the NBA Skills Challenge. The term slam dunk refers to when you leap above the net’s rim while driving the ball into the net using one or both hands. This famous play was formally known as a dunk shot. However, in 1972, Chick Hearn, an American announcer, used this term for the first time at an LA Lakers game, and it stuck. It is said that Robert Kurland was the first person to slam dunk in the 1940s.