Who made the slam dunk rise?

Over and Back's Basketball Mysteries of the 1970s series continues with a look at the proliferation of the slam dunk in the 1970s.

Topics on today's show include the origins of the slam dunk, how it was viewed in the 1950s and 1960s NBA, what the NCAA did to curtail its rise including the "Lew Alcindor Rule" banning the dunk, and the innovators who brought it to the next level including Elgin Baylor and Connie Hawkins.

We then focus on the 1970s which saw a huge rise in the use of the dunk both in the ABA and NBA including the infamous ABA Slam Dunk Contest won by Julius Erving's free-throw line dunk, Dr. J's other dunk exploits, some unsung heroes of the dunk including Gus Johnson, David Thompson, Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman, "The Helicopter" Charles Hentz breaking two rims in a single ABA game, a failed NBA dunk tournament involving Elvin Hayes, Alex English, Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, and much more!