Who was the first local to dunk in a PBA game?

[FireJaemark]

Who was the first local to dunk in a PBA game?

[ghostr!der]

Probably Abet Guidaben. Though I think I also saw Gary Vargas dunk during his CDCP days.

[jcsites]

I also think that its Abet Guidaben, during the "Crispa/Toyota" years..

[Percival O. Flores]

It was Abet Guidaben. The shot though was nullified because he was called for travelling. (That's true).

[Big Ticket]

can mon fernandez and philip cezar dunk?

[FARIDOON]

Yoyong Martirez....

[Percival O. Flores]

I think the first time I saw Mon Fernandez dunk in an actual game was in 1977thereabouts. He didn't slam the ball. In a slam dunk contest, I would score it a "7".

I don't recall Philip Cezar dunking in an actual game, not even during warm-ups.

Fortunato Co was a better slam dunker compared to Fernandez. He seldom dunked though. But he can dunk during warm-ups and on at least three or four occasions, I saw him dunk in an actual game.

[Jay P. Mercado]

can mon fernandez and philip cezar dunk?

Yes, but they hardly did so. Fernandez, probably more often. Cezar hardly dunked the ball though, but he was capable of doing so. I don't recall him dunking though in an actual game.

Guidaben was probably the most frequent dunker back in the 70's among the locals. And as what POF said, more often than not, he was called for a traveling violation since he needed a momentum to elevate himself.

Jimmy Javier, the 6'5 reserve center of Crispa, was also able to dunk during actual games. His dunking style back then was actually more finessed than Guidaben's, although the latter improved his style dramatically entering the 80's.

The most vicious dunker during the 70's though would have been Abe King...

[nardy]

Yes, but they hardly did so. Fernandez, probably more often. Cezar hardly dunked the ball though, but he was capable of doing so. I don't recall him dunking though in an actual game.

Guidaben was probably the most frequent dunker back in the 70's among the locals. And as what POF said, more often than not, he was called for a traveling violation since he needed a momentum to elevate himself.

Jimmy Javier, the 6'5 reserve center of Crispa, was also able to dunk during actual games. His dunking style back then was actually more finessed than Guidaben's, although the latter improved his style dramatically entering the 80's.

The most vicious dunker during the 70's though would have been Abe King...

I do remember Guidaben and Fernandez doing their dunks only during times they had a break-away and with no one actually guarding them but their dunks where just the simple one handed one but yes they usually either called far travel or the ball would not sink in hahaha!

But I would never forget the first time I saw another PBA outside Guidaben and Fernandez to dunkin an actual game, and it was Abe King and yes it was different and ahead of its time as even if it was a two-handed one, he did it thru a 360-spin. I was awed ..... For a Crispa Fanatic to admire a Toyota Player during those times is not usual.

Yes I heard also about Jimmy Javier .... but my memory is hazy if I saw him really do it in actual game. I do remember Rudolf Kutch trying to dunk at a Galleon Shipping game but he came short as his hand together with the ball just hit and bounced off the rim of the basket.

Other early players I remember do it were 6'2 Manny Paner (saw it once), Jojo de Guzman (was told he does that in the MICAA while with Manilabank), in his stint with Tefilin I think twice, those were break-aways but looks awesome as he is not that that a player. Heard stories that Nick Bulaong can also dunk but did not see it personally. When Romy Mamaril came in, he could do it more easily but still crude like Guidaben and Fernandez.

Among the lesser known players who could dunk during those times were Ronnie Albor, Rolly Evangelista and Woodrow Balani ..... I wonder if anyone here heard of those names.

In the late 1970's or early 1980's from only 1, 2 or 3 players who can time-to-time dunk. Players like Gary Vargas, Manny Victorino and at time Yoyoy Villamin would dunk the ball. But its Victorino and Vargas who are more frequent during those times. While Victorino does it thru brute force and with his height, Vargas high leaping ability makes it look he can do it easily and he has moves that's short of the spectacular dunks that we do see in dunk contests .... Gary was ahead of his time. I remember Padim Israel dunk once or was it twice, same with Joel Banal. I know Ricky Relosa did it in a game I saw once.

I could no longer remember when dunks were allowed in regular games, if my memory serves me right it was banned for sometime because of Wilt Chamberlain as the officials at that time said such shot gives Wilt and his team undue advantage.

Willie Pearson can dunk. Of course Jeff Moore and Samboy Lim did it while NCC was the guest team. It was rumored that Hector Calma and Elmer Reyes could also dunk.

the generation of Alvin Patrimonio just introduced us to wide-array of dunkers which was not common a few years before they came in. There's Jojo Lastimosa, Jerry Codinera, Zaldy Realubit, Jack Tanuan, Gido Babilonia, Nelson Asaytono, Benjie Paras, Bong Alvarez, Romy dela Rosa and at times Bonel Balingit. Does anybody still remember Alex Araneta, he'll do it if there's an opportunity but it reminds you of how Guidaben dunks hahaha!

Then later on Vergel Meneses, Reuben dela Rosa and Vic Pablo.

[fordmo47]

Nelson Asaytono had a unique style of dunking when he was in the PBL. I saw him do it more than once when he was playing for Magnolia.

As the ball hits the back rim and bounces high in the air, he has the uncanny ability to get the offensive rebound on the way up and follow-up dunking the ball on the way down.

[Percival O. Flores]

As far as I can recall it was only the US NCAA which banned dunk shots from 1968 to 1975 thereabouts. This was in reaction to UCLA's then Lew Alcindor dominance inside the shaded lane. Years later the now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar credited the rule for improving his game, as he need not rely on the dunk shot anymore but instead became more proficient with his sky hooks.

The NBA and the FIBA never banned it. If at all Wilt Chamberlain refrained from dunking, he did it on his own volition to show that he was a great athlete-basketball player, and not just another over-grown freak.

Another early dunker in the PBA was a young Romulo Mamaril when he played for Crispa in 1980-83. His dunks more often than not came by slamming ball off an offensive rebound when a teammate's missed shot bounced high off the rim, much the same way that fordmo47 described Nelson Asaytono's way of dunking.

Benjie Paras and to a lesser degree Romy de la Rosa dunked with some frequency but this was already in the late 1980's-early 1990's.

[Johnny A]

Must be cool if we have stats of dunk per game or total dunks by a player.

[FireJaemark]

How about Jawo, Arnaiz, Adornado and Hubalde? Can they dunk too?

[nardy]

As far as I can recall it was only the US NCAA which banned dunk shots from 1968 to 1975 thereabouts. This was in reaction to UCLA's then Lew Alcindor dominance inside the shaded lane. Years later the now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar credited the rule for improving his game, as he need not rely on the dunk shot anymore but instead became more proficient with his sky hooks.

The NBA and the FIBA never banned it. If at all Wilt Chamberlain refrained from dunking, he did it on his own volition to show that he was a great athlete-basketball player, and not just another over-grown freak.

Another early dunker in the PBA was a young Romulo Mamaril when he played for Crispa in 1980-83. His dunks more often than not came by slamming ball off an offensive rebound when a teammate's missed shot bounced high off the rim, much the same way that fordmo47 described Nelson Asaytono's way of dunking.

Benjie Paras and to a lesser degree Romy de la Rosa dunked with some frequency but this was already in the late 1980's-early 1990's.

Yup I stand corrected it was the Kareem era when the dunk shot was banned in the US NCAA.

You're probably right that Chamberlain more of refrained from doing it even if he could do it. Do remember reading that he was doing dunk shots during his time with the Harlem Globetrotters.

[Percival O. Flores]

Continuing on with the world history of dunks (ha-ha), the one league that highlighted or hyped the dunk was the defunct American Basketball Association (ABA) which existed for 9 seasons from 1967-68 to 1975-76 before four of its teams were absobed by the NBA.

It was because that they had supreme dunkers like Julius Erving, Darnell Hillman, Moses Malone, Artis Gilmore and in its final season, David Thompson that they made the dunk a main attraction of their games.

The first dunk contest was held in the halftime of the last ABA All-Star Game in Denver, Colorado. Julius Erving won that one.

As for the question if Jawo, Arnaiz, Hubalde, and Adornado could dunk, the answer is no, no, no, and no. They didn't have too. They were great players who didn't have to dunk as there were other facets of the game where they were great.

Among the four, I know Freddie Hubalde could really elevate. In the La Salle-Mapua 1974 NCAA championship game, I sam him jump for a rebound with his head nearly touching the rim, but the dunk shot was never a part of his arsenal. He had that high banking shot.