ILOILO, Philippines – Converge’s David Murrell withstood a fierce challenge from Blackwater’s Tyrus Hill to reign in the Slam Dunk Contest event of the PBA All-Star Weekend at the City of Passi Arena here on Friday, March 10.

Murrell earned a pair of 46-point marks in the final to overcome a 50-point dunk from Hill and claim the champion’s purse of P30,000.

Hill put a whole world of pressure on Murrell when he earned a perfect 50 from the five judges after jumping over Barangay Ginebra’s Jamie Malonzo for his second and last dunk.

But Murrell stayed composed and flushed home a 360-degree windmill dunk to wrap up the final with a total of 92 points, just a single point ahead of Hill.

Hill, who also scored 50 points in the elimination round for a windmill-off-the-bounce jam, opened the final with just 41 points after a botched attempt at the elbow dunk popularized by NBA icon Vince Carter.

PBA | Slam Dunk Contest:

Blackwater's Tyrus Hill earns a perfect 50 for this reverse slam.#2023PBAPassiAllStars pic.twitter.com/PCzfsy0F0C

— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) March 10, 2023

Murrell and Hill both finished the elimination round with an aggregate of 92 points to reach the final as NLEX’s Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser (89 points) and Phoenix’s Chris Lalata (80 points) bowed out.

Only four players out of the original five-man field saw action in the event following the withdrawal of Malonzo, who is dealing with a shoulder injury. – Rappler.com