Backboard shattering - wikipedia Backboard shattering A backboard shattering is an accident or stunt in basketball. It occurs when a player slam dunks the ball hard enough to break the 1 / 2 '' tempered safety glass of the backboard. The stunt has caused games to be canceled or delayed, serious injuries to occur and expensive costs of cleanup and replacement. Shattering a backboard is extremely dangerous, sending shards of glass flying over the players and fans. In the National Basketball Association ( NBA ), shattering a backboard during a game is penalized with a non-unsportsmanlike conduct technical foul and a possible fine towards the player. The player may not be ejected, nor shall the foul count towards a player 's total towards either ejection or suspension. Backboard shattering has altered the game in many different ways. In 1967, the dunk was banned in high school and college basketball. The rule - makers claimed the dunk was outlawed to prevent injury and equipment damage. After multiple issues with the new rule, nine years later they allowed the slam dunk to be legal again due to the invention of the breakaway rim. The NBA began using them after Darryl Dawkins shattered two backboards with his slam dunks during the 1979 -- 80 season. Throughout the history of basketball there have always been athletes with the size and strength to slam dunk the ball through the rim. However, the first NBA player to shatter a backboard, Chuck Connors ( who would become far more famous as an actor ), did not do so with a dunk. When playing for the Boston Celtics in 1946, Connors took a set shot during pregame warmups, hitting the front of the rim. Because an arena worker had failed to place a protective piece between the rim and backboard, the backboard shattered. All - star power forward Gus Johnson of the Baltimore Bullets became famous as a backboard breaker in the NBA, shattering three during his career in the 1960s and early 1970s. In the ABA, Charlie Hentz shattered two backboards in the same game on November 6, 1970, resulting in the game being cancelled. Darryl Dawkins became famous for shattering backboards, and is credited for being the one person to cause the NBA to introduce `` breakaway rims ''. Shaquille O'Neal slam dunked so hard that he broke the supports holding two backboards during games against the New Jersey Nets and the Phoenix Suns during the 1992 -- 93 NBA season. Chris Morris, a former NBA star with the New Jersey Nets, shattered a backboard during a game in 1993 ; Jerome Lane shattered a backboard during a game in 1988 while playing for the University of Pittsburgh ; Blue Edwards shattered a backboard during a Midnight Madness event while he was playing at East Carolina. Bryant Reeves shattered a backboard during team practice / warm - ups prior to their 1995 NCAA tourney game against UCLA. Following the 1992 -- 93 season the NBA increased steel brace strength and increased stability of the backboard to prevent the hoop from falling down after Shaquille O'Neal broke two goal standards the previous season ( although the glass remained intact, welds in the goal standard failed ). The aforementioned technical foul was also introduced at the time. During the NCAA tournament in 1996, Darvin Ham shattered a backboard while playing for Texas Tech against North Carolina. Robert Traylor, while playing for the Michigan Wolverines, shattered a backboard against the Ball State Cardinals in 1996. In 2012, during a preseason exhibition game held in Sassari, Italy, Olympiacos starter and former NBA player Joey Dorsey ended up breaking the glass of a backboard against Dinamo Sassari. References ^ Jump up to : Shattering Backboards. NBA.com. October 23, 2001 Jump up ^ Herzog, Brian ( 2003 ). Hoopmania. New York : Rosen. p. 72. Jump up ^ Broussard, Chris ( 15 February 2004 ). `` A Game Played Above the Rim, Above all Else ''. New York Times. Retrieved 24 April 2011. Jump up ^ Schwartz, Larry. `` Rifleman is first to shatter an NBA backboard ''. ESPN. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2011. Jump up ^ Goldaper, Sam ( April 30, 1987 ). `` Gus Johnson, Ex-N.B.A. Star with Baltimore, is Dead at 48 ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWisFa-c-T4 Chris Morris Shatters Backboard Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh9PToHOquI `` Send It In, Jerome ! ! '' Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9XYG_EWOjQ Blue Edwards breaks backboard Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4ZQYF2hNgM Bryant Reeves breaks backboard Jump up ^ Roberts, Selena ( Sep 13, 1993 ). `` New This Year In Nba : Shaq - proof Backboards ''. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved Apr 25, 2017. Jump up ^ Skipwith, Wes. `` Faces in the Crowd ''. Texas Media Relations. Retrieved 24 April 2011. Jump up ^ Kalmbach, Bob. `` Crashing the boards ''. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 24. Jump up ^ Joey Dorsey σπάει το ταμπλό redbasketzone.blogspot.com on YouTube Basketball ( outline ) General topics History of basketball James Naismith Variations of basketball Leagues Statistics Glossary of terms Index of articles Rules Bonus Jump ball Officials Turnover Violation 3 seconds Offense Defense 5 seconds Basket interference Carrying Double dribble Goaltending Shot clock Traveling Foul Flagrant Personal Technical Game play Air ball Alley - oop Assist Backboard shattering Ball hog Block Buzzer beater Cherry picking Dribble Crossover Dunk Euro step Fadeaway Fast break Fly Flop Jump shot Layup Finger roll Field goal Four - point play Free throw Hook shot Moves Pick and roll Positions Posterized Playbook Rebound Point Screen Back screen Slashing Steal Three - pointer Three - point play Uncontested shot Strategy General Sixth man Offense Continuity offense Flex Shuffle UCLA High Post Wheel Dribble drive motion Four corners Motion Princeton Run and gun Grinnell System Nellie Ball Small ball Triangle Defense 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 1 -- 3 -- 1 2 -- 3 zone Amoeba Box - and - one Double team Full - court press Hack - a-Shaq Jordan Rules Line Man - to - man Match - up zone Triangle - and - two Zone Equipment Backboard Ball Breakaway rim Court Half court Key Net Possession arrow Whistle Clothing Basketball sleeve Finger sleeve Air Jordan Chuck Taylor All - Stars Miscellaneous 100 - point scorers 50 -- 40 -- 90 club AAU All - Americans AAU champions Mikan Drill Player tracking Shootaround Tip drill Winning streaks Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Backboard_shattering&oldid=837828544 '' Categories : Basketball terminology 1946 introductions Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 23 April 2018, at 08 : 38. 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Question: when was the last time an nba backboard broken
Answer: 2012, during a preseason exhibition game held in Sassari, Italy