Ukrainian Kryvenko won a dunk contest in Japan
Ukrainian professional dunker Dmytro “Smoove” Kryvenko won the slam dunk contest at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Utsunomiya Opener 2026, held in the Japanese city of Utsunomiya.
The 35-year-old athlete got off to a strong start in the World Tour season, demonstrating a high level of performance and becoming the best in his discipline.
This was reported by the Ukrainian Basketball Federation.
The Ukrainian’s performance in the semifinals
The two-time world champion demonstrated an exceptional level of preparation, presenting the audience and judges with a routine that combined time-tested classics with entirely new technical elements.
The basketball veteran began his path to the title with a spectacular semifinal. First, he executed a complex self-alley-oop with a 360-degree spin: after bouncing the ball off the backboard, the Ukrainian caught it in mid-air and slammed it into the basket, completing a full rotation around his axis. The second item on the program was a trick that once earned Kryvenko gold at the 2016 World Championship, a triumphant event for him. Although the attempt didn’t succeed on the first try, the Ukrainian managed to focus and brilliantly executed the dunk on his second attempt, earning a high score of 28 out of 30 points from the judges. The third dunk of the qualifiers was a true sensation—a unique “assist” off his own shoulder. Such a move had never been seen before in international competition, so the impressed judges unanimously awarded the player perfect scores.
A Perfect Finale for Kryvenko
Advancing to the final in first place with a total score of 58 points, Smoove solidified his lead over Britain’s Jeremiah Walker in the decisive stage of the tournament. In the final, he first demonstrated incredible coordination by executing a dunk where he passed the ball from behind his back through his legs. The grand finale was a true masterpiece—a behind-the-back dunk after a bounce off the backboard. For this final round, Kryvenko received a perfect score of 60 out of 60 points.
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