Local dunker featured on 'Best Damn Sports Show Period'

Bloomington resident Kadour Ziani, also known as "the Zianimal," is 33 years old and stands 5-foot-10. His vertical jump is 56 inches, almost 5 feet. \nTo those who follow professional dunking, he is already a legend, but for those who don't, he may need an introduction. \nZiani received some national exposure Dec. 1 when he made an appearance on Fox Sports Network's "Best Damn Sports Show Period." Guest starring with legendary NFL quarterback Joe Namath and NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, Ziani set an unofficial world record for the highest kick by kicking a board 9-feet-9 inches tall.\nZiani said the appearance on the sports show has already led to a slightly inflated celebrity status. After the appearance on the show, he traveled to Venice Beach, Calif., where he was quickly recognized by many locals.\n"A large crowd of people would gather around me," Ziani said. "They would be saying, 'Hey, that's the dude who can kick the rim.'"\nZiani, a professional dunker, has traveled around the world performing showcases for the dunking group Slam Nation. He has several trademark slams, including "kick the rim" -- where, using his foot, he dislodges a basketball wedged into the corner of a backboard and rim -- along with the "double windmill." Ziani performed both of his trademark dunks on the Fox show plus a 360-degree spin dunk. Even though he's done these moves hundreds of times in all different settings, Ziani said it was different in front of a studio audience. \n"You have to be ready when they call you," he said. "It creates a lot of pressure. There's no time to warm up, and everyone is looking and waiting. There's no place to concentrate; it has to be in your mind."\nIt took Ziani three tries to break the record, but he was eventually able to get high enough to kick the board. \n"I trained very hard to be ready," he said. "I've been waiting all my life for this opportunity, but I couldn't have done it without the crowd. After I did it, it was a feeling of liberation. It was one of the best emotions in my life. I cried afterwards."\nOriginally from France, Ziani lives in Bloomington with IU senior Aaron Allen. Allen is filming a dunking documentary called "Flying 101," slated for release on DVD in February 2007. The two met while Allen was studying at Oxford in England. Ziani shared Allen's vision for the documentary and decided to move to Bloomington for training and to continue his craft. \n"One of my philosophies is show and not tell," Ziani said. "That's one of the nice things about this project. It shows all the training that I have to go through just for those two seconds in the air."\nZiani said people have frequently doubted his abilities. After attempting the world record on Fox, show host and former NBA player John Salley said, "Who would think legs that skinny could jump that high?"\nBy overcoming his height and others' doubts, Ziani believes he gives others hope.\n"You can never be scared to try," he said.