Early dunks were rare because defenders treated them as a personal affront and often tried to injure or intimidate the dunker. In 1936 Joe Fortenberry dunked in Madison Square Garden, a feat a New York Times writer described as pitching the ball down like a diner dunking a roll in coffee. By the 1950s tall centers like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain used it routinely, and rules followed, including a 1956 free-throw line rule that Chamberlain's dunks prompted. From 1967 to 1976 dunking was banned in NCAA and high school basketball, partly because of the dominance of Lew Alcindor. The breakaway rim, introduced in the NBA in 1981, reduced the risk of shattered backboards and helped the dunk return to college play.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.