Not even Shaquille O’Neal could come up with a nickname like this.
Last weekend, former NBA player and current Korean Basketball League (KBL) player, Rod Benson, decided to competed in a slam dunk competition as Mr. Boom Tho.
According to his website, Mr. Boom Tho, who is designed after Benson himself, “became the official mascot for the Boom Tho movement last October. Since then he has established himself as the face of the movement.”
The movement that Benson is referring to is the Boom Tho! Movement, which began with his friends when he was a senior at University of California Berkeley. It was born with the silly phrase “boom tho” and now represents a movement that embodies “having fun, being ridiculous and being yourself.”
In a blog post written for HoopsHype.com, Benson wrote about the competition.
“I will say that I didn’t actually decide to be a part of it, the league just chose me to participate,” he wrote. “I’m by no means a contest dunker, especially since I have an extremely conditional 35-inch jump and I’m lanky as anybody to ever wear a uniform. Still, I figured there would be one way to make it the most memorable moment on the year: Compete as Mr. Boom Tho.
“The rules allowed for 30 seconds of free dunking, which was weird, but it did give me three tries,” he added. “This ended up being a crucial detail because I had never tried to even jump in with the mascot head on, let alone dunk. When I put it on I immediately realized how difficult it was to see. I couldn’t see my feet or the ball, and I could just barely make out the rim. It was going to be a challenge for sure. I figured I’d just stick with the basics: one hand, two hands, and maybe a one-foot surprise.”
The judges ultimately rewarded Benson with a score of 43 out of 50 for his dunking.
