EVEN before becoming a pillar of the Alaska success in the 1990s, Sean Chambers had already put himself on the Philippine map.
Two years before making his Alaska debut, Chambers announced his arrival to Filipino fans by showcasing his hops in a slam dunk contest during the 1987 PBA-IBA World Challenge Cup, a weeklong tournament that pitted the top three teams in the that year’s All-Filipino Conference as well as the IBA All-Stars.
Sean Chambers on dunk contest vs Billy Ray Bates
Then 24 and representing the American side, Chambers faced well-loved PBA imports Billy Ray Bates of Ginebra and Bobby Parks of San Miguel.
Between his two aerial foes, it was Bates, fondly known as “Black Superman,” who came in as the favorite to win the side event.
“I wasn’t aware who he was… and then everybody keeps telling me, ‘Billy Ray Bates, the Black Superman.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, no problem,’” Chambers said on SPIN Zoom In.
“Going to the finals and watching him walk into the Ultra…with the Black Superman cape on and everybody loses their mind. Everybody’s super excited. He’s a national hero. I had no idea,” he added.
Chambers recalled how even the dunk-off against Bates was in the first two rounds where they both received perfect 50 scores.
Taking his turn first in the last tiebreaker, Chambers barely missed out on a perfect score as he tallied a 49. Then it was Bates’ turn.
“And then he goes up and he misses his dunk,” Chambers said, surprised. “So of course I won the big paycheck and I became a local hero or a superstar overnight. And that was even before I joined Alaska.”
“I was staying in a hotel off of Roxas Boulevard and I couldn’t walk up and down the street after winning that championship without being recognized. Instant rock star,” he added with a smile after pocketing the P50,000 prize.
Asked if winning the dunk contest paved the way for his Alaska stint, Chambers believes so as his star shone brighter when he played for the Milkmen and led them to six championships.
“I think it had something to do with it because Alaska would remember winning the slam dunk and that was the next year when I did come back to play for Alaska.”
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