"Superman" Howard flies to slam dunk contest win

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Orlando Magic big man Dwight Howard donned a Superman costume as part of a performance that allowed him to capture the NBA Slam Dunk competition in New Orleans on Saturday.

Howard beat Gerald Green, last year's winner, in the final round of the event, which came at the end of a night of skills as part of the All-Star Weekend.

The highlight of Howard's performance saw him remove his jersey to unveil a Superman shirt and then add a cape, which he bought in a New Orleans shop. He then flew through the air and threw the basketball through the hoop.

"Take off a just try to fly," Howard told a television audience. "Just take off as far as I could. I decided to put the cape on and found one on the street."

Minnesota's Green, who won last year's contest while playing for the Boston Celtics, had one dunk that saw him put a cupcake on top of the rim and have it lit before he blew it out during a dunk.

In another event, Jason Kapono of the Toronto Raptors won his second straight three-point shooting contest, beating Daniel Gibson of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The All-Star Game is set for Sunday.

(Writing by Mike Shalin; Editing by John O'Brien)