PBA All-Star: Raymond Almazan wins inaugural big man 3-point shootout

Meralco’s Raymond Almazan wins PBA All-Star Big Man 3-point shooting. –PBA IMGS

BACOLOD CITY — Meralco’s Raymond Almazan racked up 19 points finalé to rule the specialized PBA All Star Weekend’s 3-Point Shootout on Saturday.

Almazan beat out Blackwater rookie Christian David, NLEX’s Dave Marcelo, and Terrafirma’s Isaac Go in the you-or-me round of the Big Man contest held at University of St. La Salle Coliseum here.

The Bolts veteran, who was with 7-year-old son Rayl Jacob, took home a P30,000 cash prize handed personally by league chief Willie Marcial and chairman Ricky Vargas.

LIVE UPDATES: 2024 PBA All-Star Saturday in Bacolod

“Truthfully, I didn’t expect to win this. I just wanted to make the first round,” Almazan told reporters in Filipino shortly after his triumph.

“I just wanted to thank Paul (Lee) because every All-Star shootout he’s there. So I knew how to approach it: You needed to get a rhythm, you had to have a good start. And I think that helped out a lot,” he said of his former teammate at Rain or Shine, who also happens to be the reigning champion of the traditional version of the shootout.

Marcelo had 16 points, while David—the second overall pick of this year’s Rookie Draft—15. Go looked primed to beat Almazan but the Dyip big man went frosty in the final two racks, register only 13 points.

Almazan and Marcelo, who are playing for corporate siblings, had 17 each in the opening round.

The inaugural edition of the shootout was a replacement for the Slam Dunk contest, which was shelved due to injuries bothering potential contestants. It served as a prelude to the main 3-Point Shootout Contest featuring guards and the Blitz Game starred by the league’s top rookies, sophomores, and third-year players.

The main event of the All-Star Weekend is slated for Sunday 6:15 p.m. at the same venue.