NBA record-setter throws down incredible D-League dunk
An alley-oop dunk by NBA D-League player D.J. Stephens on Thursday night made a big splash online. No surprise -- it's an incredible slam.
But it also comes with a historical footnote that helps explain the wondrous feat: Stephens once recorded the highest vertical leap ever measured in NBA pre-draft workouts.
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First, here's the dunk, which Stephens unleashed for the Iowa Energy agains the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He looks about head-level with the rim, and throws it down one-handed after a nifty lob that follows a behind-the-back pass. Gorgeous play:
Stephens played college ball at Memphis, but went unselected in the 2013 NBA Draft. He's played internationally and in the D-League (the NBA's official minor league) since.
Going undrafted in 2013 wasn't for a lack of athleticism, though -- in a pre-draft workout for the Brooklyn Nets he registered a vertical leap of 46 inches. That's nearly four feet and still a record.
Then there was that time he was messing around with college teammates and CASUALLY DECIDED TO KISS THE RIM.
No big deal.
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Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.
