The PBA All-Star Game this year may only have eight clubs represented, but teams may get their chance to shine next Friday in Passi City, Iloilo.
The league is once again implementing the Skills Events for the PBA All-Star Weekend, which last took place in 2019 before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Check out who's joining.
Obstacle Challenge: Big Men
Defending champion Beau Belga of Rain or Shine will have to compete against MVPs like San Miguel's June Mar Fajardo and Barangay Ginebra's Christian Standhardinger, and veterans like Meralco's Raymond Almazan and TNT's Dave Marcelo. Younger players are also looking to make noise in the contest. They are Phoenix's Larry Muyang, Magnolia's James Laput, NorthPort's JM Calma, Blackwater's Ato Ular, Converge's Justin Araña, and Terrafirma's Joseph Gabayni.
These players would be tested in swiftness and sharp-shooting. Here's a refresher of what happened in 2019.
3-Point Shootout
The last time the PBA held the shootout, PJ Simon of Magnolia held off Robert Bolick for the win.
But there's plenty of young bucks to challenge veteran shooters in this contest, such as TNT's RR Pogoy and Terrafirma's Juami Tiongson, who figure in the top five for three-point field goal accuracy.
| RR Pogoy (TNT) | 51.1% |
| Juami Tiongson (Terrafirma) | 51.0% |
| Jeremiah Gray (Ginebra) | 48.4% |
Kevin Alas (NLEX)
| 43.5%
|
| Arvin Tolentino (NorthPort) | 42.1%
|
Baser Amer (Blackwater)
| 40.0%
|
Marcio Lassiter (San Miguel)
| 39.6%
|
Paul Lee (Magnolia)
| 39.4%
|
Aaron Black (Meralco)
| 39.1%
|
Tyler Tio (Phoenix)
| 32.5%
|
Jerrick Balanza (Converge)
| 28.0%
|
Gian Mamuyac (Rain or Shine)
| 23.1%
|
Fun fact, the current 3-point field goal percentage leader is new PBA All-Star Nards Pinto at 54.5%, but the Ginebra player will not be in this contest.
Slam Dunk Competition
There will be more high fliers in this year's Slam Dunk contest. This time, there will be no more Rey Guevarra who captured the 2019 title.
Instead, we will be seeing Ginebra's Jamie Malonzo—who has already been making jams with Gilas Pilipinas, NLEX's Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Phoenix's Chris Lalata, Converge's David Murrell, and Blackwater's Tyrus Hill.
The 2023 PBA All-Star Weekend will take place in Passi City, Iloilo on March 9 to 12. The Obstacle Challenge, 3-Point Shootout, and Slam Dunk Competition along with the Rookie-Sophomores-Juniors Game are slated on the 10th. The PBA All-Star Game is scheduled on the 12th, while on-site activities will spice up Passi City on the 9th and 11th.