Javier Pulido... king of the hoops.

Javier Pulido has won the second edition of the Red Bull King of the Rock Malta Qualifiers after an exciting final against Milos Damja-novic last weekend.

The decisive match was played in front of a sizeable crowd at the Bognor Sports Complex, Bugibba.

The popular summer hotspot hosted this year’s finals that saw the last remaining eight players battling it out for a place at the World Finals in Istanbul.

Played on a knock-out format, the one-on-one tournament was a great showcase for the game and gave an opportunity for the local basketball community to participate in such a prestigious sporting event.

In the first round of matches Pulido, Damjanovic, David Bugeja and Aki Kechagias cruised through as Jan Stupka, Jean Paul Schembri, Ryan Carabott and Nicholas Gutierrez got eliminated.

In the semi-finals, Bugeja went down to Pulido and Kechagias was left frustrated after forfeiting his advantage to Damjanovic in the last two seconds of the game.

Now in its sixth year, the world’s most prestigious one-on-one basketball tournament will take place in a new truly iconic and unique surrounding in Istanbul next month.

The finals will bring 32 King of the Rock contenders from 23 countries to face off in the historic Beykoz Leather and Shoe Factory, in Istanbul, on August 29.