NBA All-Stars Look Up: It's a Bird, It's a Plane...No, It's SlamBall

With this being the weekend for the NBA All-Star Game, one of the most anticipated events next to the game itself is the slam-dunk competition.

This annual highlight reel provides fans a chance to experience athletic feats that can best be described with words like “unbelievable” or “incredible” or “seriously, did that just happen?”

But as I watched these NBA-ers defy the laws of gravity, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the first time I watched the sport of SlamBall.

For the uninitiated, SlamBall is a combination of basketball, body checks and trampolines.  That’s right, trampolines. 

I know what you are thinking—this is a sport?  Sounds more like a weekend with Charlie Sheen.

Actually, take away the basketball part and it is a weekend with Charlie.  But I digress.

First, a quick history lesson.  SlamBall was created by Mason Gordon, who, in his words, “wanted to create a combination of sports that had the feel of a real-life video game.” 

Well, he certainly did that.  Here was Mason’s formula: Take basketball, throw in the hitting of a hockey game, and incorporate the aerial skills of a gymnast and you have SlamBall.

Even the SlamBall playing field defies description.  First, take a basketball court, insert four large trampolines below the each of the hoops, then—to take this idea to the next level of insanity—surround the entire floor with Plexiglas-style hockey boards.

Each SlamBall team consists of four players and a SlamBall game is made up of four five-minute quarters.  The scoring system is simple—get the ball through the other team’s hoop.  A regular shot is worth two points; a slam dunk is worth three.

Just who makes for the perfect SlamBall player?  These court warriors’ backgrounds are as unpredictable and varied as the game itself.  Most are former pro and college basketball players, while the rest come from the world of football. 

To keep the game moving—as if the trampolines along with the threat of getting your teeth handed to you by a punishing body check did not do that already—on each possession, players have to contend with a 20-second shot clock.

I could try to explain the rules and intricacies of the sport, but I don’t think words can justly capture the truly unique and extremely entertaining nuances of the game.

For that, check-out this SlamBall top plays reel.  It’s pretty damn cool!