The 2024 PBA All-Star Weekend in Bacolod City will not feature a slam dunk contest.

Instead, there will be a new skills challenge on March 23, with a three-point shootout among the league’s big men replacing the traditional dunk contest.

The obstacle challenge and the three-point shootout among guards will still be played, with Dave Marcelo and Paul Lee coming back to defend their respective titles.

Among the bigs seeing action in the long distance shootout are Jason Perkins (Phoenix), Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser (TNT), Aris Dionisio (Magnolia), Sean Anthony (NLEX), JM Calma (NorthPort), Mo Tautuaa (San Miguel), Isaac Go (Terrafirma), Keith Zaldivar (Converge), and rookies Ralph Cu (Barangay Ginebra), Christian David (Blackwater), Brandon Bates (Meralco), and Keith Datu (Rain or Shine).

Challenging Lee in his bid for a back-to-back shootout crown are Maverick Ahanmisi (Rain or Shine), Alex Stockton (Converge), Chris Newsome (Meralco), Robbie Herndon (NLEX), Arvin Tolentino (NorthPort), Tyler Tio (Phoenix), Andrei Caracut (Rain or Shine), Marcio Lassiter (San Miguel), Javi Gomez de Liaño (Terrafirma), Calvin Oftana (TNT), and James Yap (Blackwater).

Outside of Lee, Yap is the only other champion of the event, which he won twice, in 2009 and 2018, respectively.

Marcelo will get a stiff challenge in the obstacle challenge from Christian Standhardinger (Barangay Ginebra), Justin Arana (Converge), James Laput (Magnolia), Calma (NorthPort), Perkins (Phoenix), Tautuaa (San Miguel), Go (Terrafirma), Ganuelas-Rosser (TNT), and freshmen Clifford Jopia, Brandon Bates and Keith Datu. (ABS-CBN News)