Back in January, the PBA decided to ban Arwind Santos’ Spiderman Dunk, saying that it had come to their attention that young players emulate the dunk on makeshift or sub-standard courts, which could lead to accidents.
But after a couple of months, the Spiderman Dunk saw its return.
In the 30th staging of the PBA All-Star Game in Calasiao, Pangasinan on Sunday evening, the 37-year-old pulled off the dunk a number of times, much to the delight of the crowd in attendance at the Calasiao Sports Complex.
Santos admitted that he did not ask permission from the Commissioner’s Office, and he simply did the dunk because he wanted to.
“‘Di ko pinaalam, ‘di naman nila ako winarningan,” said the 6-foot-4 Santos – who’s participated in a few dunk contests in the past – with a grin. “Wala naman akong memo na bawal yun at mapa-fine ako dito, kaya ginawa ko.
“Kaya ‘pag nag-dunk ako sa All-Filipino, sabihin ko na lang ay akala ko All-Star. Nakalimutan ko, sorry,” he joked.
It was a great Sunday night for Santos. Aside from being able to do the Spiderman Dunk again, Santos and the North All-Stars beat South All-Stars, 185-170 — the highest-scoring All-Star Game in league history.
Moreover, Santos was named co-MVP with Japeth Aguilar, as he produced 34 points and 17 rebounds.
“Oo, nagulat ako na nakasama pa ako sa MVP. Kala ko si Japeth na eh, nagulat ako,” the 13-year league veteran admitted.
“Hindi ako nagdalawang-isip na sabihin kay Japeth, ‘Japeth, akin na yung trophy ah. Sa’yo na yung susunod’.
“Ang masaya rito, alam ko yung mga kasama ko eh. Parang isang team kami, parang hindi kami magkakaibang team. Sobrang ganoon kami. Sana lagi kaming ganoon kahit na magkakalaban kami,” added the San Miguel Beerman.
Ultimately, Santos and North won the annual dance-off versus South, making them Php100,000 richer.
“Talagang nakita ko na gusto nila manalo kaya natutuwa ako na pinagbutihan namin. Kung matatalo kami sa dance off kanina, parang masakit sa amin eh,” quipped Santos. “‘Di baleng matalo kami sa game, ‘wag lang sa dance.
“Buti na lang both nanalo kami.”
