BACOLOD – JM Calma conquered the Obstacle Challenge in the 2024 PBA All-Star Bacolod opener, Saturday at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum here.
The NorthPort sophomore clocked in 26 seconds in the Final, besting Magnolia center James Laput (30 seconds) and Santi Santillan of Rain or Shine (29 seconds) on the way to the crown and the P30,000 top prize.
Santillan actually had a chance to beat Calma’s time but missed a few attempts from free-throw range, ultimately finishing three seconds late.
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“Nagpapasalamat ako sa NorthPort kasi ako ‘yung pinadala nila rito. Ayoko rin sila mapahiya,” said the 6-foot-6 big man out of San Sebastian.
Erstwhile defending champion Dave Marcelo got dethroned right in the first round as he got beaten by rookie Ralph Cu of Ginebra.
Cu, however, was defeated by Calma in the following round, which also saw Laput beat Isaac Go of Terrafirma and Santillan take down Converge main man Justin Arana to secure the three tickets to the final round.
Also part of the Obstacle Challenge for bigs were Phoenix star Jason Perkins, Blackwater’s Clifford Hopia, San Miguel’s Mo Tautua’a, veteran center Raymond Almazan of Meralco, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser of TNT.
Calma will next try to push his luck in the Three-Point Shootout among bigs, where Laput, Marcelo, Santillan, Cu, BGR, and Almazan will also be playing.
