Germany’s Bundesliga Basketball League held its All-Star Game and related festivities yesterday in Trier. A full-capacity crowd of 5,738 devotees was on hand to watch a Northern side top their Southerly rivals, 114-104; MVP was Kyle Hines of Brose Baskets Bamberg.
But hey, let’s get on to the real centerpiece of any all-star weekend: The dunk contest. Prevailing over Quantez Robertson (now with Deutsche Bank Skyliners, formerly of Auburn) and John Bynum (TBB Trier, Metropolitan State College) in the final round was Salu Benjamin Tadi – and if you’re one of those asking yourself “Who?” at the mention of the name, you’re certainly not alone. At least for now.
In the unique format of the BBL’s dunk contest, a qualifier is held among second-division amateur players prior to the main event; the winner gets to compete against the Bundesliga pros in the final. You can catch a few rough drafts of the winning jam by clicking here, but the hangtime achieved in the contest ender by the 6’0” Tadi is truly Jordanesque.
And from an earlier round, with shorter obstacles:
The Saudi Arabia-born 22-year-old Tadi is currently with DJK Rosenheim, but BiE can’t help feeling a first-division callup must be in this flyer’s future, based on air ‘n’ flair alone. I mean, just check this stuff out…
