Jordan’s legendary dunk goes under the hammer

An original signed photograph of Michael Jordan’s 1988 dunk is the top lot in a Goldin auction. Photographer Bill Smith captured the historic moment in a single attempt.

Original photograph of Michael Jordan’s famous dunk goes up for auction

The photograph of Michael Jordan soaring toward the basket from the free-throw line is one of the most recognizable sports images in history. It was taken by Bill Smith, photographer for the Chicago Bulls, on February 6, 1988, during the NBA Slam Dunk Contest at Chicago Stadium.

In the photograph, 24-year-old Jordan hangs in the air about four feet above the court. He takes off from the free-throw line, holding the ball in one hand and raising the other. He is wearing Air Jordan 3 sneakers with the Jumpman logo, which would later become widely known. The angle and pose make it look as if the basketball player is soaring toward the basket.

Smith’s photograph is considered one of the images that cemented the dunk in popular culture. Along with a photograph of Jordan taken from beneath the basket by Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss Jr., it helped immortalize the free-throw-line leap and boost the NBA’s popularity.

The signed photograph is the top lot in Goldin’s fall photo auction. It is an original Type 1 print certified by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). Only three photographs of this image with PSA Type 1 certification are currently known to exist.

Henry Yee, chief authenticator at PSA/DNA, described the photograph’s significance: “Michael Jordan was photographed more than any other athlete of the century—and it’s not even close. Among the tens of thousands of images taken, there is no other photograph that captures the ‘air’ in Air Jordan better than Bill Smith’s masterpiece.” According to Yee, the stunning low angle from court level shows Jordan in flight and lets us see how a person seems to defy gravity and the known laws of physics.

The Goldin auction runs through November 4. The catalog features photographs of sports stars, historic events, and significant moments. Other lots include an original Type 1 photograph dated September 29, 1996, showing 18-year-old Kobe Bryant in his Los Angeles Lakers rookie uniform.

How Smith planned the shot

In a 2020 interview with the Chicago Bulls, Smith said he had chosen his position in advance to photograph the free-throw-line dunk. He knew he would have only one chance: the flash units he used needed time to recharge.

“I saw Michael practicing and knew he was going to try a dunk from the free-throw line. But I didn’t know exactly when. I carefully worked out where to stand. I wanted to show the distance between the basket and the free-throw line, and all the space beneath it. So I took a position by the sideline, between the basket and the free-throw line, a little closer to the basket,” the photographer explained.

Smith was shooting with a Canon camera and a standard 50 mm lens—nothing unusual, as he pointed out. Strobe lights were set up beneath the stadium rafters. When using them, the camera needed one or two seconds to get ready for the next shot; the flashes couldn’t fire quickly. “I had only one chance to get this shot,” Smith said.

After the shoot, he took the film to a 24-hour lab located in a parking lot on Adams Street. The film was developed overnight, and the photographer returned to pick it up when the lab opened at 8 a.m. The lab had light tables where slides could be viewed.

Smith went through the frames until he reached the dunk contest images. He said his hand was shaking and he was afraid to look at the shot he needed: a lot could have gone wrong—Jordan might have closed his eyes or blocked the ball with his hand. But the photograph captured the moment exactly as he had seen it.