Kobe Paras Misses Out On FIBA 3x3 Dunk Contest Finals

Kobe Paras displayed his superb athleticism anew but it was not enough to advance to the next round of the Slam Dunk Contest in the 2017 FIBA 3x3 World Cup.

The 19-year-old Paras, the youngest among all competitors in the tournament, challenged five professional dunkers in the qualifying stages Monday in Nantes, France, where each player gets to dunk twice.

Paras opted for a windmill dunk after receiving a pass from Kiefer Ravena off the side of the backboard, then showed off his ridiculous hops with a Vince Carter tribute that saw him jump over Ravena, then perform the “Elbow Dunk” that Carter popularized in the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest.

The two dunks gave Paras a total of 50 points, but he fell just short of the Top 4.

Advancing to the next round of the dunk contest were: Chris Staples (USA), Jordan Southerland (USA), Rafal ‘Lipek’ Lipinski (Poland), and Vadim ‘Miller’ Poddubchenko (Ukrainer).

The defending champion, Dmitry ‘Smoove’ Krivenko, finished with only 44 points in the qualifiers and was also eliminated.

Paras returns to action early Wednesday morning along with Ravena, Jeron Teng, and JR Quiñahan for a pair of crucial matches in the 3x3 tournament.

Source: FIBA