LUCENA CITY – Rey Guevara hopes to stuff one in for a piece of history.
Guevara, the high-leaping Mahindra guard, will try to earn a record fourth consecutive Slam Dunk title as the PBA All-Star Festivities continues today at the Quezon Convention Center here.
Guevara first became the ‘sultan of slam’ when he bagged the title back in 2014 when he and Star’s Justin Melton were declared co-winners of the Slam Dunk at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.
The following year, he bested Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Japeth Aguilar in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and then he stunned Chris Newsom, his former Meralco teammate, in the dunk-off last year at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Guevara said that it’s getting harder every year and this edition wouldn’t be different as other participants are expected to bring their bags of tricks to wrest away the title.
“It’s going to be tough just like the previous years,” said the 30-year-old Guevara, now on his eighth year in the PBA. “Kasi magagaling din yung mga kasali, hindi natin alam kung anong gagawin nila,”
In the history of the Slam Dunk contest, Blackwater’s KG Canaleta holds the record with five titles, but Guevara matched the former’s feat of three straight from 2005 to 2008 (Canaleta also won in 2010 and 2012).
Out to challenge Guevara is Newsome, who lost by just one point in the finals last year, 96-97, after he scored a 46 in his first dunk in the finals but got a 50 on second dunk, to Guevara’s 50 and 47 in the finals.
“I just want to give the fans a good show,” said Newsome, who will also have to contend with GlobalPort’s James Forrester, Marion Magat of Alaska and Ginebra’s Jamito Jammer.
In the Obstacle Challenge, Terrence Romeo will defend the title after winning the event the last two years. A win by Romeo will put him on the same level with ex-pro Mark Macapagal, who won three consecutives from 2010 to 2012.
Macapagal, however, owns the record for most Three-Point Shootout titles with four since he also won in 2014.
Other participants in the Three-Point shootout are Simon Enciso of Alaska, Blackwater’s Ronjay Buenafe, LA Tenorio of Ginebra, Gary David of Mahindra, NLEX’s Juami Tiongson, Jared Dillinger of Meralco, Matthew Wright of Phoenix Fuel, Allein Maliksi of Star, Marcio Lassiter of San Miguel Beer, Larry Fonacier of TNT and Rain or Shine’s Maverick Ahanmisi (a late replacement for Chris Tiu).
Ahanmisi, likewise, will look to become the first back-to-back title holder in the Obstacle Challenge, or since NLEX’s Jonas Villanueva won a record four straight from 2010 to 2013.
Also in the contest are Abel Galliguez of Alaska, Roi Sumang of Blackwater, Ginebra’s Sol Mercado, TNT’s Kris Rosales of TNT, Stanley Pringle of GlobalPort, Mahindra’s LA Revilla of Mahindra, Emman Monfort of NLEX, Ed Dauioag of Meralco, RJ Jazul of Phoenix Fuel, Alvin Abundo of Star and Alex Cabagnot of SMB.
