...the basketball mecca

The Philippines as a basketball mecca

 

 

 

By Charlie Cuna | Judgment Call

06 March 2013

 

 

 

                             FIBA Asia Championship, Manila  - 01 August to 13 August 2013

             NBA Preseason Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers, MOA Arena - 10 October 2013 

 

 

Jeremy Lin and James Harden will hit town in October for a preseason game. (Getty Images)

The Philippines has been considered a generally basketball-loving country for decades now. There are leagues all over scattered into different categories (like the under 6-feet tall league), for different age groups, for members of a certain profession, intra and inter-company tournaments, etc. As you drive around on long road trips from province to province, you see basketball courts or goals, some well-built with strong material, some makeshift, all over the place. The PBA has prided itself on being Asia’s first play-for-pay league, and the resurgence in fan support and the highest quality of basketball is a sure sign that, despite the critics and crabs, the Filipinos’ love for basketball remains.

 

For many years, the PBA has employed imports to spice things up. Mostly Americans, they venture from far away to play basketball here. Even in the collegiate leagues, foreign student-athletes have journeyed from as far as Africa and are playing basketball while (hopefully) receiving a high level of education. Filipinos who were born and/or raised abroad have voyaged to the Philippines to play hoops, and many have excelled and endeared themselves to those who watch and appreciate good basketball. In one way or another, it is the love for the game of basketball that has brought all these people here.

Through the years, many have come back a few times either to play again (“balik-import”), or just enjoy the warmth of the Filipinos and the beauty of the Philippines. Some came and decided to stay, making the Philippines their home. Coach Norman Black of the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters is the primary example. Seven-time PBA Best Import Bobby Parks is another one who is based here now, and his son, Ray, is one of the primetime players in the UAAP for NU and is considered to be one of the foundations for the national team in the future. Even coaches have come to share their knowledge and ended up staying for years (Ron Jacobs, Rajko Toroman, and former NBA center Alton Lister).

Famous international basketball players and teams have travelled to the Philippines to promote certain products, conduct clinics, and/or play exhibition games. NBA stars past and present have been visiting the Philippines for many years in a row, especially because the NBA presence is strong here, with games televised live, and NBA merchandise is available in many stores, plus the fact that the NBA created a website specifically for Filipinos. Most, if not all these players and teams leave with the vivid image of Filipinos going crazy over their mere presence, applauding, cheering, or screaming at their magical moves and superb skills on the hardcourt.

 

An American, Rafe Bartholomew, even wrote a book called “Pacific Rims”, about what he calls “the Philippines’ unlikely love affair with basketball.” He came here, looked around, noticed the passion for the sport, and dedicated himself to write about it and all the different stories basketball has spun for Filipinos all around the country. Every Filipino fan who appreciates basketball should read the book. We may not agree with everything he says in it, but he surely has some enlightening perspectives.

So many people who come from far, far away end up in the Philippines because of basketball – to play it, to coach it, to watch it, or to experience it. Truly, basketball in the Philippines is quite an experience. It brings out passion and fuels up emotions.

In August, the FIBA Asia Championship will be held here in the Philippines, and the national teams of our Asian neighbors will make the trek to Manila with the objective of perhaps making it to the FIBA World Championships. Certainly, Filipino fans will come out in droves to cheer on Gilas Pilipinas as it takes on the other Asian basketball powers.

Then, as most of you already know, it was just announced that only two months after FIBA Asia, the NBA will hold, for the first time in history, a live pre-season game between the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets, here in the Philippines on 10 October 2013. The Mall of Asia Arena will be the venue, and the NBA promised that the lineups of both teams will be complete, and the mascots will be here, as well as the cheerdancers (very important) of both teams. No less than NBA Commissioner David Stern made the announcement on video, and Rockets Coach and NBA Hall of Famer Kevin McHale also shared his message.

It’s mind-blowing to think that the NBA decided to stage a game here, even if it’s not of the regular season variety. I am excited beyond words and intend to be there when it happens. It wasn’t something impossible, but it came sooner than I expected. The past few years indicated the high probability of having an actual game in Manila, with the constant NBA events being held here, and the active relationship between the PBA and the NBA, and the NBA with its local carriers (BTV and Studio 23).

There are many other countries all over the world that would gladly host an NBA game, countries who are commonly considered as “more popular” than the Philippines. The NBA has played in many cities in Europe, and recently played some games in China. Why here? Obviously, the NBA saw something in the Philippines that set it apart from other nations and put it on the same level as many other bigger countries, as far as basketball is concerned. The NBA felt the passion, the utter love for basketball that Filipinos have, despite it being a “tall man’s sport.” As I always say, there are millions of basketball “experts” here who watch the games in the different leagues here and abroad, and are very knowledgeable about them. The fight for tickets to this game will be almost as spectacular as the event itself.

So it seems that it isn’t just the Philippines’ beautiful beaches and natural wonders that entice visitors to come onto our shores. Sometimes, the reason is basketball.