I had been trying for many weeks with a men’s ball, and successfully dunked a smaller than regulation ball that I could palm (one of the pizza hut final four balls) at Shabbona middle school in 1992.
My “Street Ball” was so bald from outdoor use. It was a Christmas present from my father, my first new basketball ever from 4th grade, used for hundreds of games of horse, one/one, and thousands of shots.
It had the skyline of Chicago screen printed on it in white on the blue side, and the words “Street Ball” screened on the orange side in blue ink…I always wondered why the basketball was in Chicago Bears colors.
It was on July 21 1993, that I dunked cleanly (a right hand left footer) for the very first time on a black rimmed Huffy graphite slam-jam hoop in the Ravine Woods apartment complex in Morris, Illinois. It was a warm night and I had gone out with the specific intention to shoot around and try a few dunks…
After the successful execution, I ran in and told my mom and immediately autographed it with a blue Sharpie marker on the orange side and retired the ball. It made the move with me from Ravine woods to the house at 617 E. Washington, but never out of the dusty basement ball bucket it was in. I set that ball free yesterday.
I also found a Wheaties Michael Jordan poster from Dave Depasqua, probably from 1988-1989…he wrote on the back “Dear Pete, The day is coming when you slam and jam like the stars. Keep practicing Pistol Pete. Love, Dave”