Slaughter wins 1st BPC; Durham is back-to-back Best Import

Greg Slaughter in his first game back since suffering an ACL injury 10 months ago. PBA IMAGES

Greg Slaughter proved that he’s no longer feeling the lingering effects of his ACL injury as his dominant showing in the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup was enough for him to take home his first Best Player of the Conference award.

The 6-foot-11 center averaged 14.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks as he helped the Gin Kings earn a return trip to the finals and defend their throne.

Slaughter received 975 votes to win the award after getting 393 statistical points, 412 media votes, 20 player votes, and 150 votes from the PBA Commissioner’s Office.

He became only the sixth Ginebra player to win the highest individual plum in a conference, joinig the likes of Marlou Aquino, Eric Menk, Mark Caguioa, Jayjay Helterbrand, and LA Tenorio.

Slaughter edged Meralco swingman Chris Newsome for the award after the sophomore got 707 votes, as well as San Miguel big man June Mar Fajardo (617 votes), TNT slasher Jayson Castro (440 votes), and San Miguel forward Arwind Santos (371 votes).

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Meanwhile, Allen Durham was once again hailed as the Bobby Parks Best Import for the season-ending conference.

The 29-year-old slotman averaged 25.4 points, 20.1 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks to stamp his class among this conference’s reinforcements.

Durham gathered 1,219 votes, powered by 592 statistical points, 421 media votes, 57 player votes, and 150 votes from the PBA as he was the unanimous choice as this conference’s top import.

He also became the first reinforcement to win the award in back-to-back seasons since Gabe Freeman in the 2009 and 2010 Fiesta Conferences, as well as becoming the ninth reinforcement to bag the Best Import award multiple times, following the footsteps of seven-time winner Bobby Parks, as well as two-time victors Norman Black, Billy Ray Bates, Ken Redfield, Derrick Brown, Jerald Honeycutt, Freeman, and Arizona Reid.

Durham bested Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee (834 votes), TNT’s Glen Rice Jr. (574 votes), and San Miguel’s Terrence Watson (482 votes) for the plum.