Phil Cofer of Florida State pulled off one of the most impressive dunks you will ever see on Monday night over Duke’s Jahlil Okafor. The throw-down would have been absurd regardless of the opponent but posterizing a likely All-American and potential No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft makes it all that much better.
But is it really a dunk if the player’s hand never touches the rim? This is taking nothing away from Cofer, as 99.99 percent of humans would look like damn fools trying to replicate such a ridiculously athletic act. However, should it be considered among the top dunks in recent memory or just an unreal play against a big-time player?
It’s not entirely clear whether or not Cofer’s hand touches the rim but it appears that it does not and would not be the first time that a play was lauded for being a massive dunk when it might not actually be a dunk.
A slam dunk is defined as the following (via Dictionary.com):
A particularly forceful, often dramatic, dunk shot.
That solves nothing. What is a dunk shot?
A shot in which a player near the basket jumps with the ball andattempts to thrust it through the basket with one hand or both handsheld above the rim.
There is no mention of needing to touch the rim. Congrats, Phil Cofer, you threw down one of the most incredible dunks in a very long time.
As a result of this exclusive and hard-hitting investigation, you may all proceed about your day knowing that the Florida State freshman did indeed dunk the basketball
