KOBE PARAS WINS FIBA UNDER 18 WORLD SLAM DUNK CONTEST IN SENSATIONAL FASHION
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 08 Jun 2015
Teenage sensation Kobe Paras has won the world Slam Dunk contest in the FIBA Under 18 competition with a sensational creative final slam that beat back a spirited challenge by Jaleck Felton of the United States, Agustin Da Costa of Uruguay and hometown boy Mark Boros of host Hungary in Debrecen.
With the gold medal triumph, Kobe repeated his stunning success two years ago in Jakarta when he overcame the challenge of the much taller American and Spanish contestants.
Paras had earlier slammed his way to the final four of the eagerly-awaited competition in Hungary topping the two rounds with a total of 28 points which was also shared by Felton and Da Costa but was pushed to the limit in the finals with the fans expressing their disagreement with the three judges scores on Paras dunk in the second round when he soared over three teammates and his coach with the announcer noting ?the audience was not satisfied with the marks the guys showed for a very nice dunk? which earned him only a total of 27 points which put pressure on the cool, collected and confident youngster to turn in a perfect score on his final attempt.
Felton who flubbed his first two attempts in the final round ?left the best for last? in the words of the venue announcer to get 29 points when he picked up a pass and with perfect synchronization slammed it home after missing his first two attempts with time down to 30 seconds to give the American a total of 83 points.
The commentator announced that Kobe ?needs a perfect 30 points? to edge Felton as the Filipino had a total of 54 points going into his final attempt.
Paras who was clearly the crowd favorite was cheered on by the fans who held its collective breath as the barker shouted out ?let?s see whether Kobe Paras can get a 30 point final where he needs a perfect dunk.?
In what his Dad, PBA superstar Benjie Paras said was ?an innovative dunk which he tried for the very first time even without practice because he realized if he went ahead with the dunk he had prepared he wouldn?t win,? Kobe plucked a basketball held above the head of a teammate and hammered it through the net with the barker shouting ?he needs a perfect dunk and he gets it. Let?s see whether he gets the required 30 points? and as the three judges raised their scorecards showing a perfect ten, the announcer shouted ?yes he got it? as the fans roared their approval.
Both father and son were emotionally touched as the Philippine national anthem was played with Kobe wearing dark shades to probably hide the tears in his eyes.
Kobe Paras (center) during the awarding ceremonies of the FIBA U-18 slam dunk contest in Debrecen, Hungary.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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