'Bad Boy Tour' turns into a Famutimi show

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman was the center of attraction, but the high-flying Canadian banger Olu Famutimi stole the thunder out of the flamboyant "Bad Boy" with his spectacular showmanship.

Famutimi, in a splendid display of gravity-defying moves and breathtaking slam-dunk performances, pumped in 33 points to vault the NBA Legends to a 124-94 rout of the San Miguel Corporation All-Stars in their goodwill match dubbed as "Bad Boy Tour" the other night at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex.

Famutimi, who boasts of a 45-inch vertical jump, caught the large throng of spectators in complete awe as he demonstrated almost all types of rim-rattling stunts, including a high-velocity windmill and two-hander slam that sealed the 30-point blowout.

The 6-foot-6 Famutimi also executed a dunk off a nice bounce pass by Kareem Reid. Moments later, the former Arkansas Razorback standout caught the ball in mid-air and gracefully slammed it home to the delight of the fans who paid as much as P10,000 to watch the historic event.

Rodman, though, also had his fair share of the limelight being the most applauded player among the NBA Legends. His first basket tied the scored at 34-all and later on he dished out a nifty assist to Famutimi leading to the game first slam dunk that gave the visitors a 36-34 edge with 8:20 left in the second quarter.

Rodman, who did not play the entire fourth quarter, finished with five points. He slightly injured a female TV reporter when he crashed into the sidelines while attempting to save a loose ball.

The SMC All-Stars made a 6-0 run to grab back the lead, 40-36, but that proved to be their lash hurrah as the NBA Legends staged a furious rally to take a 16-point edge at halftime, 67-51, on a long, buzzer-beating triple by Myron Allen.

Allan Caidic opened the third period with a 3-pointer to pull the SMC All-Stars within 54-69, but that was the closest they could come as Famutimi and Allen broke the game wide open with their variety of acrobatic shows.

Allen heavily backed up Famutimi with 25 points for the NBA Legends of coach Sidney Moncrief, Chad Wilkerson added 18 markers, Reid had 13 followed by NBA Hall of Famer Alex English and Colin Boddicker with 11 and 10, respectively.

Darryl Dawkins, one of the most feared slam-dunk artists in NBA history, failed to come up with a slam, but still gained the adoration of the crowd because of his graciousness and sense of humor. In fact, the spectators chanted 'Dawkins' name heading into the final-minute mark of the game.

Caidic and Ato Agustin topped the SMC All-Stars with 17 points apiece, while Vince Hizon chipped in 14 markers.

The NBA Legends will conclude their Philippine tour on May 1 against the PBA All-Stars of coach Chot Reyes at the Araneta Coliseum.

The scores

NBA Legends (124) - Famutimi 33, Allen 25, Wilkerson 18, Reid 13, English 11, Boddicker 10, Rodman 5, Dawkins 5, Murphy 4

SMC All-Stars (94) - Caidic 17, Agustin 17, Hizon 14, Espinosa 7, Martin 6, Pacheco 6, Bolado 6, Jose 5, Magtulis 5, Sta. Maria 4, Jarencio 3, Loyzaga 2, Cordero 2