Filipino dunk specialist Carlos David won the World Tour Dunk championship with impressive array of dunk shots in Abu Dhabi.
DAVID Carlos once again ruled the FIBA 3x3 circuit after grabbing the title of World Tour Abu Dhabi Masters’ Slam Dunk Competition in Kasr Al Amwaj, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Sunday.
Carlos stunned crowd favorite Vadim "Miller" Poddubchenko from Ukraine in the final round.
This marks his return to the FIBA 3x3 World Tour following his two-year absence.
At the age of 33, the 5-foot-8 dunker proved how much more he has on his tank.
“I just wanted to put on a show and to prove to myself that I can still compete with the world’s best,” said an exhausted Carlos after his win.
Though fear was never in Carlos’ vocabulary, it was a daunting task of defeating the 6-foot-6 Ukraine dunker in the final round.
Carlos’ first dunk was an elevated windmill jam that drew a 9.3.
His second attempt was his trademark scorpion that also had a score of 9.3.
This got him an early lead which Miller never got the chance to grab.
In the last round of the finals, Miller even got a 9.7 for his no-look scorpion dunk but Carlos also scored 9.7 for an over-three-people dunk.
Dubbed as ‘Air’ David, Carlos walked away with not only the bragging rights from the Slam Dunk competition, but also a $3000 (P150,000) prize money.
The 2021 World Tour Abu Dhabi Masters’ Slam Dunk title marks the third time for a Filipino to win in a World Tour dunk competition.
Carlos successfully bagged the title back in the 2017 Chengdu Masters while Rey Guevarra topped the 2015 Manila Masters.
"I did not want to disappoint yung mga kapwa natin Pilipino na nanood dito," said Carlos. "Kaya ako, kahit lamang na ko, tinodo ko po rin yung mga dunk ko kanina. Nasa isip ko kanina, bahala na kung ma-zero ako basta alam ko na binigay ko yung best ko."
Tags: #basketball, #FIBA, #international