Miner Wins Dunk Contest, Plans Return : NBA: Rookie from USC impersonates his childhood idols, fulfills a dream.

Harold Miner, whose dreams have been coming true in fits and starts, lived a large one, dunking his way into the company of the greats.

Missing the draft lottery, on Miami’s bench for two months, only recently risen to the Heat’s No. 3 guard, Miner won the NBA’s slam-dunk competition Saturday and promised to return for many more.

“I enjoy dunking the basketball,” Miner said. “I don’t try to hide that. I enjoy dunking. Growing up, I mean, that’s what I did.

“A lot of guys say they don’t want to be in the competition because they don’t want to be viewed as one-dimensional. I don’t worry about that.”

With Shawn Kemp sitting out because of a sore right thumb, Miner took over the competition on his first dunk, a two-handed reverse-with-scissor-kick on which he brought the ball up from between his legs.

The judges gave him a 49, a score bettered only by Miner--on his final dunk.

“The charisma in Harold came out,” judge Julius Erving said. ‘He showed what he had. What I liked most is how he spiked his dunks. They were done clean and hard. Then he kept his composure. We judged them tough, and Harold came away the winner.”

Miner had been preparing for this day all his young life, NBA slam-dunk day ranking near Christmas on his calendar.

“My buddies and I would talk about what it must be like, just being in that atmosphere, being part of that scene,” Miner said before the competition.

“Those were the early days of the slam-dunk, when Michael (Jordan) and Dominique (Wilkins) would go at it. I would sit in front of the TV with a big breakfast--five, six eggs, five or six slices of bacon, orange juice and lots of toast. After the game, I’d be so excited, I’d run out to the park to try and imitate what I’d seen.”

Saturday in Inglewood, more kids ran outside and everyone wanted to be Harold Miner.

Notes

Mark Price, the crack shot who had never gotten out of the first round in two previous tries, won the three-point shootout, 18-17, over Terry Porter. Porter needed only two of a possible six points in his last rack of balls but missed his first four shots and didn’t get the fifth off in time. . . . Who said the Lakers had no representative here? Jamaal Wilkes scored five points and took three rebounds for the West in a 58-45 loss to the East in the Legends Classic. “You try to get in shape so you don’t hurt yourself or embarrass yourself,” said Wilkes, who owns a real estate company. “I accomplished half my goals. I didn’t hurt myself.” . . . The participants, remembering last year’s knee injuries to Norm Nixon and David Thompson, agreed among themselves to take it easy this time and all survived.