Anthony Jerome "Spud" Webb (born July 13, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Webb, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), is known for winning a Slam Dunk Contest despite being one of the shortest players in NBA history, being listed at tall. He is currently the president of basketball operations for the Texas Legends, the NBA G League team for the Dallas Mavericks in Frisco, Texas. Early years Webb was born into poverty in Dallas, Texas. He was raised in a small two-bedroom home and saw basketball as an inspiration. Webb was not tall, but he used his quickness and jumping ability to outplay bigger kids. Starting in the seventh grade, Webb was told that he was too short to play basketball. He got a chance to play on his junior high team only after two players did not complete physical exam requirements in time for the first game. Webb scored 22 points in his first game. He could dunk the ball when he was tall. At Wilmer-Hutchins High School, he played on the junior varsity team and made a large impact; when he made the varsity team, he averaged 26 points per game as a senior. College career Midland College Despite his impressive high school record, Webb attracted little interest from colleges. He was recruited by North Texas Basketball Coach Bill Blakeley (who would later become his agent throughout his NBA career) but received his first opportunity to play on a college basketball team at Midland College (in Midland, Texas), where he led the Chaparrals to the junior college national title in 1982. In the championship game, Midland defeated top-ranked and previously unbeaten Miami-Dade North of Florida, 93-88, in double overtime. Webb led all scorers in with 36 points, shooting 10-15 from the floor and 16-18 from the line. His performance at the tournament earned Webb a write-up in Sports Illustrated and national attention. In 1983, he was named an NJCAA All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association. North Carolina State University Webb was planning to transfer to North Texas to play for Bill Blakeley but Blakeley was fired in May 1983 and Spud prepared to go work with his dad at Webb’s Soul Mart near Fair Park in Dallas. Coach Blakeley reached out to his friend, Tom Abatemarco, an assistant coach at North Carolina State University, and took him to watch Spud play