<P> This is a dunk where the player takes off from a distance which is significantly further away from the basket than is considered typical . The free - throw line is most commonly constituted as the take - off point, an effect likely attributed to the easily observable span between the line and the basket in the view of the TV audience . In order to achieve the hang - time and altitude necessary, players will generally leap from one - foot to maximize the momentum generated from the half - court running start often required to complete the dunk . A cornerstone of dunk contests, dunks from a distance are also performed in games, most often on the fast break . </P> <P> In the 1950s, Jim Pollard and Wilt Chamberlain had both dunked from the free throw line--15 feet from the basket . Chamberlain was able to dunk from the free - throw line without a running start, beginning his forward movement from within the top half of the free - throw circle . This was the catalyst for the 1956 NCAA rule change which requires that a shooter maintain both feet behind the line during a free - throw attempt . </P> <P> In the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest, Julius Erving dunked after leaping from the free - throw line, with his heel on the line, and has since been credited with introducing the free - throw line dunk to the general public . </P> <P> In the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Michael Jordan dunked from the free - throw line, in the same manner as Julius Erving, but parted his legs making his dunk more revolutionary than Erving's . </P>

First person to ever dunk in the nba