March 14, 2023 • 36 mins
In 1979, the Washington Bullets visited Manila for a game against a selection of PBA players, marking the first official visit from NBA players to the Philippines. Since then, a number of players have visited, both for NBA-sponsored games and events, like the Houston Rockets v Indiana Pacers 2013 preseason game, and for their own sneaker tours and personal visits. LeBron James has been memorialized at the famous Tenement court with his handprint, Chandler Parsons had fans asking his dad for an autograph, and Robin Lopez said he and Wesley Matthews “felt like rockstars” while visiting. However, one NBA star rises above the rest when we think about the impact he had on the Philippines - both at an individual level, connecting with fans one-on-one, and as a nation of basketball lovers. Cassidy Hubbarth and Nikko Ramos discuss the NBA players who have visited the Philippines over the years, and the lasting legacy of the Black Mamba.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's hilarious. That's what it's all about. It someone's fun
to experience. I've never seen better fans of my life.
Today we're talking about the visiting NBA players who have
made a difference in the lives of Filipino fans over
the years, and how the Philippines have inspired NBA stars
in return. Welcome to episode four of Hoops Paradise, the
(00:26):
Philippines Love of the game basketball. We're in Archianella, sort
of standing ballible style. All Right, Nico, I hope you're
warmed up, because I'm putting you on the spot right
off the top today. If I warmed up, I mean
I just woke up and I am only starting to
(00:48):
drink my coffee because Manilla's thirteen hours out of New
York and this is the only time we can ever
find to record together. Than Yeah, sure, I guess I'm
ready to get after it. Okay, that's what I like
to here. Here's the question. Okay, what's the absolute best
visit by an NBA player to the Philippines that you
can think of? Best? Best? Best is a broad word.
(01:13):
Give me something else to work with. Nope, sorry, this
is uh, this is completely open ended. It can be
an event you hosted, something you attended as a fan,
a former NBA player who joined the PBA in an
exhibition game, even something that you only saw on TV
or heard about after the fact. The only requirement here
(01:34):
is an NBA figure visiting the Philippines. It could be anything,
even the time Evan Fournier came to the country as
a tourist in twenty sixteen shot hoops on a dirt Courton,
Palawan Province. Anything. Okay, well, thanks a lot for making
it easy for me, and even making it even wider
than I thought. I've been blessed to be hosting NBA
(01:56):
players Manila's tours and covering x NBA players who come
to the country for pretty much my entire adult life, right, So,
I mean, it's it's a long list. It's a long list.
I mean, that's why I'm asking you quit stalling. I mean, yes,
you had that charmed life. Now pick something. I mean, okay,
all right, fine, fine, fine, obviously, but many stages of
(02:17):
my life as marked by Kobe Bryant visits are right
up there, from me lining up as a student to
get free tickets and watching him from the very very
top of an arena to the next time he rolled around.
I was posing as a journalist even though I you know,
I really wasn't, kind of like fake credentials and a
(02:41):
camera that didn't have any film on it, just to
get a little closer than you know, eventually to actually
meeting him and hosting his events and you know, getting
some valuable Kobe time in person. I think that that
journey of mine, compared to his visits, that's always going
to be the most special to me. Yeah, I mean,
(03:03):
it's hard to compete with Kobe Bryant. I understand. I've
actually didn't ever get a chance to meet Kobe because
I was so only hosting in studios and I never
got the opportunity to cover any of his games on
the sideline. So, um, the fact that you were able
to meet Kobe several times, um, you know, it is
truly amazing. Miss him every day. I still can't believe
(03:25):
he's gone. I met him. I met him one time,
and technically I think stocked him the other times. So UM,
I don't know. Legally, I think I think I shouldn't
have any problems because that's what Filipino fans do, and
Kobe's in the country man, so we just go crazy. Okay,
then we're then we're even. So before we get into
(03:47):
any other specifics, we should probably provide just a rough
breakdown of the basic types of MBA and former NBA
player visits to the Philippines. You know. The first, which
we spent nearly all of episode three exploring, is when
an NBA player comes to the country as an import
in the PBA or to play on the national team
as a naturalized Filipino citizen, like Andre Blatch did in
(04:11):
the twenty fourteen and twenty nineteen Feeble World Cups, or
like Jordan Clarkson did over the summer when he joined
Gilis Filipinas for a pair of Feeble World Cup qualifying
games against Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Right, And although it's
always a big deal when an NBA athlete makes his
way to Manila, the players who decide to extend their
(04:31):
careers in the PBA usually aren't huge stars in the States,
and they tend to lose a little bit of their
mystique once they trade their Indiana Pacers jersey, for example,
for a technicolor red, blue and yellow and green and
purple and magenta rain or Shine Elasta painters PBA uniform
Do I have beef for the Rain or Shine uniforms? Yes,
(04:54):
yes I do. I get it, you're a paint company,
but the jersey doesn't need to have eighteen different colors
on it. Sorry, but you digress. Next, we have the
exhibition games. Active NBA players have only participated in two
leagues sanctioned events in the Philippines over the years. The
first one came in nineteen seventy nine, when a Washington
Bullets team led by Hall of Famer's West Unselled Elvin
(05:17):
Hayes and Bob Dandridge crossed the Pacific to play exhibitions
in China and the Philippines. In Manila, the Bullets, who
were only a year removed from their nineteen seventy eight
NBA championship season, challenged a selection of PBA All Stars.
More than forty years later, the game itself has become
something of an urban legend where much is lost to memory.
(05:40):
Even the players who were on the floor that night
aren't completely sure what happened. I mean, as far as
we know, there's no remaining video of the full game.
Maybe we'll get lucky and someday someday we'll discover a
dusty old Beta MAX recording in their grandparents attic. But
until then, the only existing footage comes from a short
(06:01):
commemorative clip the PBA produced in two thousand and five
when the league was celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. According to
newspaper reports from back then, Washington defeated the PBA squad
one thirty three to one twenty three, kind of close,
and after the game, coach Dick Mata told the press
that good big men will surely beat good little men.
(06:23):
M at least coach Mata said, we were good. It
was a little condescending. The other crazy thing about that
nineteen seventy nine game was a media accounts included a
line about some kind of altercation between six foot eleven
inch Washington center Dave Corzine and six foot two Hall
of Fame PBA guard athlete Cole who had the not
(06:45):
at all threatening nickname the fortune Cookie and probably made
one hundred and seventy pounds soaking wet in those days.
The Fortune Cookie for two charities, he has got a
total of thirty one thirty six points. Now, the words
quote unquote, near fight appeared in one story, But thirty
years later, when a reporter from ESPN asked cuisine and
caught about it, neither could remember a thing because quote
(07:08):
was an all timer. I'm glad I'm still alive if
I fought a seven footer. I don't know if I
want to know the backstory to how he got the
nickname fortune Cookie, so I will continue on here. It
would be another thirty four years before the NBA brought
another game with active players back to Manila, when the
Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers touched down for a twenty
thirteen preseason game at the New Law of Asia Arena.
(07:32):
By then, basketball had truly become a global sport, and
the NBA was already two decades into late Commissioner David
Stern's project of bringing NBA basketball the countries all across
the world. The league first held games outside of the
US in Canada nineteen eighty eight, and by twenty thirteen,
one hundred and thirty eight preseason and regular season games
had been played in nineteen countries. Why did it take
(07:55):
so long for the Philippines to make that list, Nigo,
It definitely wasn't for lack of interest, not from the
NBA and definitely not from Filipino fans. Until twenty twelve,
the issue was infrastructure. Since it opened in nineteen seventy five,
the country's premier basketball venue had been the Aranata Coliseum,
a historic site, asha's first air conditioned arena and the
(08:16):
host of one of the most famous heavyweight boxing matches
of all time, the Thrilla in Manila between Muhammad Ali
and Joe Frazier. To this day, the Big Dome, as
we like to call it, remains the most common host
of PBA games and during PBA rivalry games and college
hoops grudge matches, is probably one of the most electric
basketball atmospheres on the planet. But the place it's a
(08:38):
little long in the tooth, and because of its age,
it wasn't considered quite up to modern and bay standards.
That's where the Mall of Asia Arena comes in. When
developers unveiled the new venue in twenty twelve, they made
sure it included all the features required for an NBA visit,
and once MOA was open for business, the league wasted
no time in arranging the first b A game ever
(09:01):
played on Philippine soil, taking a three going inside hard
to strong drives to the whole from James Harden. The
keyword there is strong. You know, his body creates a
little space. After that contact with George gets to the rim.
So we're people doing backflips to see James Harden and
Paul George play back. Then I think it was something
much much deeper than that. This is a country that's
(09:22):
overflowing with basketball enthusiasm twenty four seven, three sixty five.
So the feeling that I remember around the game and
throughout Metro Manila that week wasn't so much range we
get to see James Harden and Paul George put on
a show. It was more of the pride that the
Philippine basketball world could take in that moment, we have
arrived in the league that the rest of the world
(09:43):
looks up to. Was acknowledging it. Ma boo Hi, you
hear that David stern On behalf of these two great teams,
the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers. It is my
great honor to say to you, we are the light
to be here. We thank you for your hospitality, and
(10:04):
we look forward to coming back enjoy the game. I
guarantee you that brought us here the eyes of fans.
Here by fans, I meant me. The last type of
NBA player we need to cover is the offseason tour.
In some cases, the league will send a handful of
up and coming players over to visit junior NBA basketball
(10:24):
camps and spend a day or two helping local charities
through the NBA Cares program. Other times, you'll see all
stars in the league's biggest names popping in to promote
their latest signature shoes. And that's when you reach out
to host extraordinaire Nico Ramos to MC your event, Nike,
Jordan Adidas, Antha Leaning, whoever it is, Yeah, my calling card,
(10:47):
you know my number. I gotta be honest here, though.
I've hosted dozens of these events over the years, and
it is work, regardless of how fun it looks. The
same way, you have to be cast the reporter and
not Cassidy, the lifelong NBA fan. When you're interviewing Steve
Kerr at the start of the fourth quarter, I can't
(11:07):
be phased by the fact that I'm on stage doing
a Q and A with Lebron. I'm throwing that out there,
by the way, same job, because Lebron's a guy i
haven't been on stage doing a Q and A with
so manifesting that one. Of course, of course I have
to keep it professional. And yes, I'm more than a
little bit spoiled because I've been up close and personal
with so many current informer NBA grates that I you know,
(11:32):
I don't pinch myself and ask is this real? But
the one thing that will never ever ever get old
about hosting events with NBA players when they visit Manila
is seeing how genuinely touched they are by the country's
passion for the sport. Even though NBA players are very
much not just like us, one thing they share with
all basketball fans is that love of the game. They've
(11:54):
devoted their lives to the sport, and when they come
to Manila and meet kids on the other side of
the world who've studied and learned to imitate their moves,
when they drive by streetside courts and see guys battling
for rebounds in their bare feet, that love is infectious.
To see not only how they inspire us, but we
also inspire them. That's the part that sticks with you,
and you can really hear the wonder and players' voices
(12:16):
when they're talking about their experiences in the Philippines. Listen
to some of these. We are privilely travel with us today.
One of the legitimate superstars of the NBA, a man
who's incredible hardcourt talent is perhaps matched only by his
decency and his integrity and style of the hardcourt, mister
(12:36):
Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistess. Grant, You've obviously had
a great welcome here. Did this surprise you in any way? Yes,
it definitely did surprise me. And you fly halfway around
the world and the sea fans, the sea smiles on
the faces, see people cheering. I never never thought this
would happen, and never in my wildest imagination, and it
(12:57):
makes makes me feel really good, It really does. Chandler
Parsons in twenty thirteen couldn't believe that people were asking
for his dad's autographs. It's hilarious, That's what it's all about.
It's so much fun to come out here experience all this.
And I've never seen better fans in my life than
here in the Philippines. So you other than you see
your father's any more autographs in here? Yeah, here's a
rock star. Well, there's no talent when they see it
(13:19):
that there's a whole bunch of talent over though. I
love it. Derrick Rose just lights up talking about Filipino fans.
Man the Philippines is like it's almost like home to me.
I remember going there just by myself with my agency,
and they showed me a lot of a lot of
love over there. They love basketball, they love the NBA.
(13:39):
It's like a culture over there, So you gotta show
nothing but respect. Every event I had over there, they
came out and they support it. So I'll tell Philippine fans,
I love you all and thanks for the support. And
this is about as excited as you'll ever hear Robin
Lopez outside of you know, a Disney World resort. I
(14:00):
went over and we love everything about love the food,
we love the people are so passionate about basketball over there.
We feel we feel like rock stars. But one NBA
player rises above the rest when we think about the
impact he had on the Philippines, both at an individual
level interacting with fans one on one and as a
nation of basketball lovers. His Mamba mentality resonated with Filipino fans,
(14:25):
and he developed meaningful relationships on his repeated trips at
the Philippines. When we come back, we're getting a lesson
on bakiki sama from the Black Mamma. Gather around, class,
(14:48):
gather around. It's time for a weekly the gal lesson. Okay, teach,
I really enjoy learning more about the language and specifically
how these words relate to Philippine basketball. But yourself, ale,
full of yourself right now, bring it down just like
a notch, because the only lesson I truly ever needed
to learn came from you know that old Michael Jordan
(15:10):
commercial where he plays one on one against his younger self.
All right, Okay, consider me humbled, consider me taking it
down a notch. But the term I want to introduce
this week isn't just specific to basketball. It's something that
refers to one of the strongest and most cherished pieces
of Philippine culture. You ready for it? Yes, here it
is bakiki sama. There isn't a perfect word for word
(15:35):
translation in English, but it means something like the art
of getting along well with others. You express it in
different ways. Plain old kindness is always a good start,
but it also includes putting others at ease, making sure
people feel included, sometimes even performing exaggerated acts of humility
or generosity to demonstrate you aren't stuck up or a snob.
(15:57):
Filipino's renowned and sometimes you know Admittedly overwhelming hospitality stems
from this virtue, the way that when you visit someone's
home for the first time, they'll insist on feeding you
no matter when you last aid. And if you want
to make good brakisama, you better eat it in return.
Even in the world of professional basketball, here you see
(16:18):
pakikisama in action. It's custom here for PBA players to
spend time after practice and after games greeting supporters, posing
for selfies, and sharing a few moments of real connection
with fans. And the expectation is not just that a
player will stop and sign a couple of autographs. No,
it's that he'll make a real effort to share the
moment and grant a simple request for each fan who's
(16:40):
taken the trouble to stand and wait for him. Robert Jaworski,
probably the most beloved PBA player in history and a
former senator as well here in the Philippines, was legendary
for spending hours in the parking lot after every practice
and after every game, showing fans, how dearly, he appreciated
their support and being a basketball player might require more
(17:02):
kissing babies than campaigning for office, and as a result,
PIANOI pro bowlers have a natural common touch and every
man appeal. They get it. That's Barkikisama for you. Bakikisama,
well done. I do it, hey, that is perfect on
the first try. And you just you just being nice
(17:24):
now because I said, you're being full of yourself. But
you know, see that's bika for you. I see you know,
world ya see Okay? And let me guess there have
been one or two NBA players to visit Manila over
the years who were naturals at this one in particular,
Mamba Kobe. Magical Kobe Bryant visited the Philippines more times
(17:45):
than any other NBA player than I can think of
over the past twenty five years, Beginning the summer after
his rookie year when he was a nineteen year old
NBA baby, traveling with his mom and his cousin, he
made six total trips to Manila and had promised to
keep return long after his retirement. Prior to the tragic
January twenty twenty helicopter crash that took his life along
(18:07):
with that of his thirteen year old daughter Gianna and
seven other passengers. He came to promote his classic Adidas
kicks at the beginning of his career. Later on, he
came to promote his Nike line. He came to play
exhibition games. Sometimes it seemed like he was just searching
for any kind of offseason excuse to fly out to Manila,
even if it meant acting as the pitchman for a
(18:27):
Chinese smartphone brand as a case for his twenty thirteen
shore And every time he showed up here he seemed
to have embraced some new aspect of Philippine culture. Anuta
galag phrase that he'd taken time to learn with legit
good Cassidy Hillworth level pronunciation before addressing fans a new
Filipino food he wanted to try for the first time.
(18:49):
He was open to just about anything, it seemed, and
he looked like he was having the time of his life,
jumping into college exhibition games and basketball clinics at small
outdoor jim around Metro Manella. I can see that even
in the States, he always loved to entertain international media
by answering their questions in Italian or Spanish, or rattling
(19:10):
off some of the Mandarin he'd learned for the Chinese press.
That's just his natural pikisama. He had this enthusiasm around
fans that you just couldn't fake, And even though he
was always obvious that he enjoyed the adoration, he wasn't
afraid to tell us and show us that he loved
us back. I enjoy sharing the game of basketball. Of
(19:33):
all the places that I've traveled, is so much passing
and enthusiasm for the game. So that's why I love
coming back. And at least for his connection with Filipino fans,
it didn't hurt that Kobe played his entire Hall of
Fame career and won all five of his NBA titles
with the Lakers. Since Los Angeles and Southern California are
home to the largest concentration of Filipinos anywhere outside of
(19:54):
the Philippines, just about everyone has a Laker fan in
their life and her friend and relatives in SoCal have
managed to convert an awful lot of us. So you
said he came to Manila six times, which one stands
out the most? Definitely not the one where I was
a borderline criminal pretending to be an actual journalist when
(20:18):
I wasn't credential for that event because I wasn't an
actual journalist yet. The moments the trip that we actually
met and you know, we got to share time together,
that will always be special. But the first time he
came over here and I was at the top of
the bleachers watching him from afar, just like as a fan,
I think those two are tied for the most special
(20:41):
Kobe moments in Manila for me. And even though I
was just a kid when Kobe made that first trip
to the country, that one was clearly something special. There's
some clips of that trip still floating around YouTube. Goodness,
look at how young he is there. But also you
see that playful nature that Kobe learned to be a
little bit more guarded about as he got older and
started to craft the whole mystique around Momba mentality. Back then,
(21:05):
he wasn't about a philosophy around maniacally driven hard work
and his extreme competitive nature. No, he was a nineteen
year old kid rocking a baron Ka gallo ground Manila
with crazy confidence, posting up then President of the Philippines,
Joseph estrada during a photo op, but our version of
the White House and breaking out his entire arsenal of
(21:27):
isolation moves and a half court three on three exhibitions
set up at a mall atrium. The guys he was
getting all those buckets against, they're well known coaches and players,
some of whom had impressive PBA careers of their own.
But to this day they'll still tell you that Kobe
Bryant dribbling the ball between their legs was one of
their greatest basketball memories. And then just look at this
(21:50):
Kobe being brave enough to try that. The nick ling
a traditional folk dance that asks its performers to step
tiptoe and hop between a pair of bamboo pole. The
two other performers are rhythmically smacking against the floor and
then against each other, usually ethnically. First timer will get
his or her foot caught between the bamboo a couple
of times before they get the hang of it. But
(22:12):
this goes without saying, but there wasn't much usual about
Kobe Bean Bryant, I mean just awesome. You could see
no fear, the focus, the mama mentality and everything he did.
How do you think he developed the footwork. I know exactly.
You're welcome, Kobe, right, You're welcome Kobe. So I guess
(22:36):
the only question left is whether you think another NBA
star might eventually find a similar bond to the one
Kobe had with the Philippines. You know, the King Lebron James,
He's not far off. That's the sound of Lebron dunking
in the Pact Mall of Asia Arina. He's already traveled
(23:01):
to the country three times. He has a preserved print
of his hand at the tenement court, and you know,
he's reaching out to Filipino fans more and more through
something that I've been lucky enough to have had a
small hand in, working with and collaborations with local brands
like Titan to create new versions of his Lebrons with
Philippine inspired colorways and design elements. It's different from the
(23:24):
way Kobe showed us that he cared with his enormous
personality and mega watch charm, but that attention to detail
and that desire to pay tribute to the Philippines Basketball
love affair, it hits the same spot right in the heart.
Coming up next, we're talking to Cattan, also known as
the One Armed Mamba. She's just one example the impact
(23:45):
Kobe had during his visits the Philippaines, and I can't
wait for you to hear her story. So one more
thing about that trip Kobe Bryan made to the Philippines
in nineteen ninety eight, that also happened to be the
first chance Kobe got to meet a young fan who
(24:06):
was going through an incredibly difficult time who would, over
the years, with help from the inspirations she found in
Kobe's game and in Mamba mentality, go on to become
a Philippine basketball icon in her own right, and someone
whose story has the power to spread that inspiration even further.
Filipinos and Kobe we do share the same passion for
(24:28):
the sport, for the game, for basketball. So I guess
that's one thing that makes us one. Meet cattan Aka,
the One Armed Mamba. When I was ten years old,
when I had my accident in nineteen ninety six, two
years before Kobe's first trip to Manila, she boarded a
(24:49):
roller coaster at her grade school's annual carnival, and moments
after the ride began, the coaster derailed. One student died
in the accident. Several suffered grave injuries and had to
be rushed to the hospital. Kat lost her arm in
the collapse. And what I was recovering in the hospital,
I was watching his game, and back then he wasn't
(25:12):
really just you know, it wasn't like the superstar that
he was. But you know, there's something about him that
strike me. Two years later, Kat, an avid basketball fan,
was invited to meet Kobe Bryant, the nineteen year old
NBA prodigy making his first ever visit to the Philippines.
They took a picture together. Kobe called her by a nickname,
(25:35):
Cat Cat, and the rest of the story is hers
to tell. When I heard that he was visiting here
in the Philippines, you know, I asked my cousin, who
was working in the place where he was gonna do
is his event? And you know, I was just there
to just a spectator. I was just so happy to
see him play with the kids. And by the time
(25:57):
that you know, everyone is going home, I was. I
was ready to go home. And one of the writers
or journalists of a newspaper recognized me because I was
already playing varsity basketball at that time, and he recognized
me and asked me like or the one who like
schoolby and I was like, yeah, I'm his friend, and
(26:20):
you know, I got a free pass to meet him
and had lunch with him. And that was the first
time I you know, I was beside him and talked
to him and it was amazing. It was the first
It was our first meeting. Yeah, you had lunch with him, Yeah,
but I wasn't able to eat. I was like, just
(26:40):
like next, Yeah, Kobe had lunch and I was just
right beside him. I was just like looking at him
while he was talking to me, and I was like yeah, yeah.
I was just like, I was what did he eat?
I need to know the details of this unic this
lunch or city next to Kobe Bryant. He's eating what
(27:02):
you're not eating? What? Oh? Yeah? Definitely there was a rise.
Never really I had a quoto of it. I don't
remember what the dish was, but definitely there was a
rise and some meat of some sorts. I don't know.
I don't remember eat with his hands though, because that's
like the true no, no, come on Kobe. That was
(27:27):
his first visit, but by visit number seventeen, Kobe was
full on eating with his hands off off of a
Banana LEAs probably probably the rest of his stay here.
He was able to try it. But at that time,
who was like he was really it was also like
just talking to me. And I think that was the
first time because that was the first time I met him.
(27:48):
I didn't know like how he was with with his
fans or or like you know, with with others, because
he's like, he's like Kobe, He's I mean, that's the
start of his career, of his rising career. And he
really wasn'to like talking to you and he didn't care
(28:08):
like who you are. He was just like, oh, I
want to know what you want or what you're into,
and and he really just listens. He's into the conversation.
I mean, he's just not doing it just because he's
like Kobe Bryant and he knows that you are his fant.
(28:29):
Kobe's friendship might have ended there, but they met a
second time. The second time when he had his visit here,
also when he had an event, and I was able
to show our first photo to him at the second
time we met, and the first time, he was still
the frobe and he still had the yeah, he still
(28:50):
had his afro hair. And when he saw his photos like, oh,
oh my god, look at that hair. What what would like?
And they met again in twenty sixteen. It was a
t day camp and each day players get cut and
I was able to make it to the final twenty
(29:12):
four and I was like, yeah, it was amazing, and
you know, that moment I realized like how special it was.
And I was around thirty at that time, and the
players that I was with, they're in like their high
school years, college years, They're like, you know, playing competitively,
(29:35):
and I was just like, you know, I was still
playing basketball, but just for fun. I was like, you know,
I was already working at that time, and I was
like with this young kids and that camp we were
like the final twenty four. During the event, while we
were having our breaks, I bravely came up to him
(29:59):
and I was like, Hey, do you remember me. I
was like, oh my god, what am I doing? And
he was like dribbling, dribbling the balls, like yeah, of
course I remember you. And I was like when I
when I walked away, I was like, oh, of course not.
You don't remember me. And I think there's just something
at the back of my head like I'm gonna I'm
(30:20):
gonna make this this event memorable. I'm gonna make you
remember me everybody. At the end of the event, Kobe
(30:45):
had a challenge for the camp. His challenge was the
last part of the event and everyone is like raising
her head. Kat raised her hand and Kobe picked her.
(31:09):
She made the shot. Nothing but net, I just did
what I what I had to do. I just I
just had my weight And yeah, you know it happened.
You have the nickname of One Armed Mamba. How how
did that come about? What's the story behind you getting
(31:30):
the nickname One Armed Mamba? And who gave it to you? Yeah?
First I gave it to myself. No, I mean, um,
it started to actually UM before I kind of had
that validated, there was this UM event. It was. It
(31:53):
was a Nike event at that time, I was able to,
you know, join that and I registered and they were like, okay,
you can tag yourself. You can tag your heat name
and then all and then so you can register. So
I was like, okay, my name is like it's not
that interesting, and I was like, okay, I'm gonna I'm
gonna make it interesting. So I changed it to that,
(32:14):
and then you know, I registered and I was like, Okay,
by the start of the event until the last day
of the event, I use that name, and you know,
little did I know that after the event that would
change my life entirely. That shot at the twenty sixteen
practice where Kobe challenged someone to make a three pointer
(32:36):
or doom the rest of the camp to run validated
the nickname for her. Momba for me is not really
just like a nickname. It represents like Kobe and how
he is on the court and how he takes every
challenge on and off the court. So for me, I
mean the one arm, I mean, I don't even need
(32:59):
to explain that spart but yeah, for me, the Mamba
is just not like an evening tender percents like how
I am that you know, I'm ready to take on
any challenge every day on and off the court. Everyone
we talked to about the Philippines love for Kobe said
something along these lines that it's the Mamba mentality that
(33:20):
resonates so much with Filipino fans. Not to mention he
kept coming back. His repeated trips to the Philippines showed
bands that their connection with both ways Kobe has always
been like even bigger than Jordan and Lebron. That's c. J. Tlenano,
Filipino American writer, director, comedian and the founder of follow
(33:41):
Through Studios. I mean, I think it's just him. He
kind of like made it a point to go out
to the Philippines. And here's Jimmy A. Laban. He's a
PBA legend and currently is a G League assistant coach
for the Stockton Kings. When I played throughout my career,
I only wore Kobe's you know, Kobe actually went to
the Philipines his rookieyear. And I think that that connection
(34:03):
with the country and sharing that love and passion for
the game with him and then him coming you know,
to the country all the time, I think it really
just made that connection much much deeper than I think
some of the other players. And getting a chance to
meet him multiple times was very very special. Even his last,
his last visit to Manila, they had this special ceremony
(34:25):
to just kind of dedicate the Arnetta Coliseum, the historic
Arnetta Coliseum, to Kobe and they had a frame picture
of him kind of walking out of the arena. And
because he had made multiple trips to the country, you know,
for probably the last decade, and that particular time he
got a chance to meet my son and my daughter
and we had a chance to talk afterward, and you know,
(34:47):
again I gotten a chance to kind of relatively get
to norm from the previous six seven times he'd been
in the country, and so you know, when he met
my kids, he said, oh man, you have your kids.
You know I have my daughters back in the States,
And so it was it was a very very special
connection from because he had such a huge influence on
my career, not just with his shoes, but the character,
the work ethic. You know, it's something that helped drive
(35:08):
me being so far away from home and being the
Philippines to play. So having that moment with him was
something I'll definitely always remember. Thanks for listening to episode
four of Hoops Paradise the Philippines Love of the game.
Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you
get podcasts, and check out episode five or we'll be
(35:29):
examining the NBA dream from a Philippine perspective. I felt
like I didn't have experience. I also felt somewhere subconsciously
that I didn't look like your typical NBA head coach.
I wasn't an older veteran coach, wasn't white. You don't
really know what box to put me in, so I
just knew subconsciously that I didn't look the part, and
(35:51):
that kind of messes with you a little bit. And
then my family started to tell me that I was
the first Asian coach and the first Filipino head coaching
in any sport, and then it became a source of pride.
It's hilarious. That's what it's all about. It someone's fun
to experience. I've never seen better fans of my life.
Today we're talking about the visiting NBA players who have
made a difference in the lives of Filipino fans over
the years, and how the Philippines have inspired NBA stars
in return. Welcome to episode four of Hoops Paradise, the
(00:26):
Philippines Love of the game basketball. We're in Archianella, sort
of standing ballible style. All Right, Nico, I hope you're
warmed up, because I'm putting you on the spot right
off the top today. If I warmed up, I mean
I just woke up and I am only starting to
(00:48):
drink my coffee because Manilla's thirteen hours out of New
York and this is the only time we can ever
find to record together. Than Yeah, sure, I guess I'm
ready to get after it. Okay, that's what I like
to here. Here's the question. Okay, what's the absolute best
visit by an NBA player to the Philippines that you
can think of? Best? Best? Best is a broad word.
(01:13):
Give me something else to work with. Nope, sorry, this
is uh, this is completely open ended. It can be
an event you hosted, something you attended as a fan,
a former NBA player who joined the PBA in an
exhibition game, even something that you only saw on TV
or heard about after the fact. The only requirement here
(01:34):
is an NBA figure visiting the Philippines. It could be anything,
even the time Evan Fournier came to the country as
a tourist in twenty sixteen shot hoops on a dirt Courton,
Palawan Province. Anything. Okay, well, thanks a lot for making
it easy for me, and even making it even wider
than I thought. I've been blessed to be hosting NBA
(01:56):
players Manila's tours and covering x NBA players who come
to the country for pretty much my entire adult life, right, So,
I mean, it's it's a long list. It's a long list.
I mean, that's why I'm asking you quit stalling. I mean, yes,
you had that charmed life. Now pick something. I mean, okay,
all right, fine, fine, fine, obviously, but many stages of
(02:17):
my life as marked by Kobe Bryant visits are right
up there, from me lining up as a student to
get free tickets and watching him from the very very
top of an arena to the next time he rolled around.
I was posing as a journalist even though I you know,
I really wasn't, kind of like fake credentials and a
(02:41):
camera that didn't have any film on it, just to
get a little closer than you know, eventually to actually
meeting him and hosting his events and you know, getting
some valuable Kobe time in person. I think that that
journey of mine, compared to his visits, that's always going
to be the most special to me. Yeah, I mean,
(03:03):
it's hard to compete with Kobe Bryant. I understand. I've
actually didn't ever get a chance to meet Kobe because
I was so only hosting in studios and I never
got the opportunity to cover any of his games on
the sideline. So, um, the fact that you were able
to meet Kobe several times, um, you know, it is
truly amazing. Miss him every day. I still can't believe
(03:25):
he's gone. I met him. I met him one time,
and technically I think stocked him the other times. So UM,
I don't know. Legally, I think I think I shouldn't
have any problems because that's what Filipino fans do, and
Kobe's in the country man, so we just go crazy. Okay,
then we're then we're even. So before we get into
(03:47):
any other specifics, we should probably provide just a rough
breakdown of the basic types of MBA and former NBA
player visits to the Philippines. You know. The first, which
we spent nearly all of episode three exploring, is when
an NBA player comes to the country as an import
in the PBA or to play on the national team
as a naturalized Filipino citizen, like Andre Blatch did in
(04:11):
the twenty fourteen and twenty nineteen Feeble World Cups, or
like Jordan Clarkson did over the summer when he joined
Gilis Filipinas for a pair of Feeble World Cup qualifying
games against Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Right, And although it's
always a big deal when an NBA athlete makes his
way to Manila, the players who decide to extend their
(04:31):
careers in the PBA usually aren't huge stars in the States,
and they tend to lose a little bit of their
mystique once they trade their Indiana Pacers jersey, for example,
for a technicolor red, blue and yellow and green and
purple and magenta rain or Shine Elasta painters PBA uniform
Do I have beef for the Rain or Shine uniforms? Yes,
(04:54):
yes I do. I get it, you're a paint company,
but the jersey doesn't need to have eighteen different colors
on it. Sorry, but you digress. Next, we have the
exhibition games. Active NBA players have only participated in two
leagues sanctioned events in the Philippines over the years. The
first one came in nineteen seventy nine, when a Washington
Bullets team led by Hall of Famer's West Unselled Elvin
(05:17):
Hayes and Bob Dandridge crossed the Pacific to play exhibitions
in China and the Philippines. In Manila, the Bullets, who
were only a year removed from their nineteen seventy eight
NBA championship season, challenged a selection of PBA All Stars.
More than forty years later, the game itself has become
something of an urban legend where much is lost to memory.
(05:40):
Even the players who were on the floor that night
aren't completely sure what happened. I mean, as far as
we know, there's no remaining video of the full game.
Maybe we'll get lucky and someday someday we'll discover a
dusty old Beta MAX recording in their grandparents attic. But
until then, the only existing footage comes from a short
(06:01):
commemorative clip the PBA produced in two thousand and five
when the league was celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. According to
newspaper reports from back then, Washington defeated the PBA squad
one thirty three to one twenty three, kind of close,
and after the game, coach Dick Mata told the press
that good big men will surely beat good little men.
(06:23):
M at least coach Mata said, we were good. It
was a little condescending. The other crazy thing about that
nineteen seventy nine game was a media accounts included a
line about some kind of altercation between six foot eleven
inch Washington center Dave Corzine and six foot two Hall
of Fame PBA guard athlete Cole who had the not
(06:45):
at all threatening nickname the fortune Cookie and probably made
one hundred and seventy pounds soaking wet in those days.
The Fortune Cookie for two charities, he has got a
total of thirty one thirty six points. Now, the words
quote unquote, near fight appeared in one story, But thirty
years later, when a reporter from ESPN asked cuisine and
caught about it, neither could remember a thing because quote
(07:08):
was an all timer. I'm glad I'm still alive if
I fought a seven footer. I don't know if I
want to know the backstory to how he got the
nickname fortune Cookie, so I will continue on here. It
would be another thirty four years before the NBA brought
another game with active players back to Manila, when the
Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers touched down for a twenty
thirteen preseason game at the New Law of Asia Arena.
(07:32):
By then, basketball had truly become a global sport, and
the NBA was already two decades into late Commissioner David
Stern's project of bringing NBA basketball the countries all across
the world. The league first held games outside of the
US in Canada nineteen eighty eight, and by twenty thirteen,
one hundred and thirty eight preseason and regular season games
had been played in nineteen countries. Why did it take
(07:55):
so long for the Philippines to make that list, Nigo,
It definitely wasn't for lack of interest, not from the
NBA and definitely not from Filipino fans. Until twenty twelve,
the issue was infrastructure. Since it opened in nineteen seventy five,
the country's premier basketball venue had been the Aranata Coliseum,
a historic site, asha's first air conditioned arena and the
(08:16):
host of one of the most famous heavyweight boxing matches
of all time, the Thrilla in Manila between Muhammad Ali
and Joe Frazier. To this day, the Big Dome, as
we like to call it, remains the most common host
of PBA games and during PBA rivalry games and college
hoops grudge matches, is probably one of the most electric
basketball atmospheres on the planet. But the place it's a
(08:38):
little long in the tooth, and because of its age,
it wasn't considered quite up to modern and bay standards.
That's where the Mall of Asia Arena comes in. When
developers unveiled the new venue in twenty twelve, they made
sure it included all the features required for an NBA visit,
and once MOA was open for business, the league wasted
no time in arranging the first b A game ever
(09:01):
played on Philippine soil, taking a three going inside hard
to strong drives to the whole from James Harden. The
keyword there is strong. You know, his body creates a
little space. After that contact with George gets to the rim.
So we're people doing backflips to see James Harden and
Paul George play back. Then I think it was something
much much deeper than that. This is a country that's
(09:22):
overflowing with basketball enthusiasm twenty four seven, three sixty five.
So the feeling that I remember around the game and
throughout Metro Manila that week wasn't so much range we
get to see James Harden and Paul George put on
a show. It was more of the pride that the
Philippine basketball world could take in that moment, we have
arrived in the league that the rest of the world
(09:43):
looks up to. Was acknowledging it. Ma boo Hi, you
hear that David stern On behalf of these two great teams,
the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers. It is my
great honor to say to you, we are the light
to be here. We thank you for your hospitality, and
(10:04):
we look forward to coming back enjoy the game. I
guarantee you that brought us here the eyes of fans.
Here by fans, I meant me. The last type of
NBA player we need to cover is the offseason tour.
In some cases, the league will send a handful of
up and coming players over to visit junior NBA basketball
(10:24):
camps and spend a day or two helping local charities
through the NBA Cares program. Other times, you'll see all
stars in the league's biggest names popping in to promote
their latest signature shoes. And that's when you reach out
to host extraordinaire Nico Ramos to MC your event, Nike,
Jordan Adidas, Antha Leaning, whoever it is, Yeah, my calling card,
(10:47):
you know my number. I gotta be honest here, though.
I've hosted dozens of these events over the years, and
it is work, regardless of how fun it looks. The
same way, you have to be cast the reporter and
not Cassidy, the lifelong NBA fan. When you're interviewing Steve
Kerr at the start of the fourth quarter, I can't
(11:07):
be phased by the fact that I'm on stage doing
a Q and A with Lebron. I'm throwing that out there,
by the way, same job, because Lebron's a guy i
haven't been on stage doing a Q and A with
so manifesting that one. Of course, of course I have
to keep it professional. And yes, I'm more than a
little bit spoiled because I've been up close and personal
with so many current informer NBA grates that I you know,
(11:32):
I don't pinch myself and ask is this real? But
the one thing that will never ever ever get old
about hosting events with NBA players when they visit Manila
is seeing how genuinely touched they are by the country's
passion for the sport. Even though NBA players are very
much not just like us, one thing they share with
all basketball fans is that love of the game. They've
(11:54):
devoted their lives to the sport, and when they come
to Manila and meet kids on the other side of
the world who've studied and learned to imitate their moves,
when they drive by streetside courts and see guys battling
for rebounds in their bare feet, that love is infectious.
To see not only how they inspire us, but we
also inspire them. That's the part that sticks with you,
and you can really hear the wonder and players' voices
(12:16):
when they're talking about their experiences in the Philippines. Listen
to some of these. We are privilely travel with us today.
One of the legitimate superstars of the NBA, a man
who's incredible hardcourt talent is perhaps matched only by his
decency and his integrity and style of the hardcourt, mister
(12:36):
Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistess. Grant, You've obviously had
a great welcome here. Did this surprise you in any way? Yes,
it definitely did surprise me. And you fly halfway around
the world and the sea fans, the sea smiles on
the faces, see people cheering. I never never thought this
would happen, and never in my wildest imagination, and it
(12:57):
makes makes me feel really good, It really does. Chandler
Parsons in twenty thirteen couldn't believe that people were asking
for his dad's autographs. It's hilarious, That's what it's all about.
It's so much fun to come out here experience all this.
And I've never seen better fans in my life than
here in the Philippines. So you other than you see
your father's any more autographs in here? Yeah, here's a
rock star. Well, there's no talent when they see it
(13:19):
that there's a whole bunch of talent over though. I
love it. Derrick Rose just lights up talking about Filipino fans.
Man the Philippines is like it's almost like home to me.
I remember going there just by myself with my agency,
and they showed me a lot of a lot of
love over there. They love basketball, they love the NBA.
(13:39):
It's like a culture over there, So you gotta show
nothing but respect. Every event I had over there, they
came out and they support it. So I'll tell Philippine fans,
I love you all and thanks for the support. And
this is about as excited as you'll ever hear Robin
Lopez outside of you know, a Disney World resort. I
(14:00):
went over and we love everything about love the food,
we love the people are so passionate about basketball over there.
We feel we feel like rock stars. But one NBA
player rises above the rest when we think about the
impact he had on the Philippines, both at an individual
level interacting with fans one on one and as a
nation of basketball lovers. His Mamba mentality resonated with Filipino fans,
(14:25):
and he developed meaningful relationships on his repeated trips at
the Philippines. When we come back, we're getting a lesson
on bakiki sama from the Black Mamma. Gather around, class,
(14:48):
gather around. It's time for a weekly the gal lesson. Okay, teach,
I really enjoy learning more about the language and specifically
how these words relate to Philippine basketball. But yourself, ale,
full of yourself right now, bring it down just like
a notch, because the only lesson I truly ever needed
to learn came from you know that old Michael Jordan
(15:10):
commercial where he plays one on one against his younger self.
All right, Okay, consider me humbled, consider me taking it
down a notch. But the term I want to introduce
this week isn't just specific to basketball. It's something that
refers to one of the strongest and most cherished pieces
of Philippine culture. You ready for it? Yes, here it
is bakiki sama. There isn't a perfect word for word
(15:35):
translation in English, but it means something like the art
of getting along well with others. You express it in
different ways. Plain old kindness is always a good start,
but it also includes putting others at ease, making sure
people feel included, sometimes even performing exaggerated acts of humility
or generosity to demonstrate you aren't stuck up or a snob.
(15:57):
Filipino's renowned and sometimes you know Admittedly overwhelming hospitality stems
from this virtue, the way that when you visit someone's
home for the first time, they'll insist on feeding you
no matter when you last aid. And if you want
to make good brakisama, you better eat it in return.
Even in the world of professional basketball, here you see
(16:18):
pakikisama in action. It's custom here for PBA players to
spend time after practice and after games greeting supporters, posing
for selfies, and sharing a few moments of real connection
with fans. And the expectation is not just that a
player will stop and sign a couple of autographs. No,
it's that he'll make a real effort to share the
moment and grant a simple request for each fan who's
(16:40):
taken the trouble to stand and wait for him. Robert Jaworski,
probably the most beloved PBA player in history and a
former senator as well here in the Philippines, was legendary
for spending hours in the parking lot after every practice
and after every game, showing fans, how dearly, he appreciated
their support and being a basketball player might require more
(17:02):
kissing babies than campaigning for office, and as a result,
PIANOI pro bowlers have a natural common touch and every
man appeal. They get it. That's Barkikisama for you. Bakikisama,
well done. I do it, hey, that is perfect on
the first try. And you just you just being nice
(17:24):
now because I said, you're being full of yourself. But
you know, see that's bika for you. I see you know,
world ya see Okay? And let me guess there have
been one or two NBA players to visit Manila over
the years who were naturals at this one in particular,
Mamba Kobe. Magical Kobe Bryant visited the Philippines more times
(17:45):
than any other NBA player than I can think of
over the past twenty five years, Beginning the summer after
his rookie year when he was a nineteen year old
NBA baby, traveling with his mom and his cousin, he
made six total trips to Manila and had promised to
keep return long after his retirement. Prior to the tragic
January twenty twenty helicopter crash that took his life along
(18:07):
with that of his thirteen year old daughter Gianna and
seven other passengers. He came to promote his classic Adidas
kicks at the beginning of his career. Later on, he
came to promote his Nike line. He came to play
exhibition games. Sometimes it seemed like he was just searching
for any kind of offseason excuse to fly out to Manila,
even if it meant acting as the pitchman for a
(18:27):
Chinese smartphone brand as a case for his twenty thirteen
shore And every time he showed up here he seemed
to have embraced some new aspect of Philippine culture. Anuta
galag phrase that he'd taken time to learn with legit
good Cassidy Hillworth level pronunciation before addressing fans a new
Filipino food he wanted to try for the first time.
(18:49):
He was open to just about anything, it seemed, and
he looked like he was having the time of his life,
jumping into college exhibition games and basketball clinics at small
outdoor jim around Metro Manella. I can see that even
in the States, he always loved to entertain international media
by answering their questions in Italian or Spanish, or rattling
(19:10):
off some of the Mandarin he'd learned for the Chinese press.
That's just his natural pikisama. He had this enthusiasm around
fans that you just couldn't fake, And even though he
was always obvious that he enjoyed the adoration, he wasn't
afraid to tell us and show us that he loved
us back. I enjoy sharing the game of basketball. Of
(19:33):
all the places that I've traveled, is so much passing
and enthusiasm for the game. So that's why I love
coming back. And at least for his connection with Filipino fans,
it didn't hurt that Kobe played his entire Hall of
Fame career and won all five of his NBA titles
with the Lakers. Since Los Angeles and Southern California are
home to the largest concentration of Filipinos anywhere outside of
(19:54):
the Philippines, just about everyone has a Laker fan in
their life and her friend and relatives in SoCal have
managed to convert an awful lot of us. So you
said he came to Manila six times, which one stands
out the most? Definitely not the one where I was
a borderline criminal pretending to be an actual journalist when
(20:18):
I wasn't credential for that event because I wasn't an
actual journalist yet. The moments the trip that we actually
met and you know, we got to share time together,
that will always be special. But the first time he
came over here and I was at the top of
the bleachers watching him from afar, just like as a fan,
I think those two are tied for the most special
(20:41):
Kobe moments in Manila for me. And even though I
was just a kid when Kobe made that first trip
to the country, that one was clearly something special. There's
some clips of that trip still floating around YouTube. Goodness,
look at how young he is there. But also you
see that playful nature that Kobe learned to be a
little bit more guarded about as he got older and
started to craft the whole mystique around Momba mentality. Back then,
(21:05):
he wasn't about a philosophy around maniacally driven hard work
and his extreme competitive nature. No, he was a nineteen
year old kid rocking a baron Ka gallo ground Manila
with crazy confidence, posting up then President of the Philippines,
Joseph estrada during a photo op, but our version of
the White House and breaking out his entire arsenal of
(21:27):
isolation moves and a half court three on three exhibitions
set up at a mall atrium. The guys he was
getting all those buckets against, they're well known coaches and players,
some of whom had impressive PBA careers of their own.
But to this day they'll still tell you that Kobe
Bryant dribbling the ball between their legs was one of
their greatest basketball memories. And then just look at this
(21:50):
Kobe being brave enough to try that. The nick ling
a traditional folk dance that asks its performers to step
tiptoe and hop between a pair of bamboo pole. The
two other performers are rhythmically smacking against the floor and
then against each other, usually ethnically. First timer will get
his or her foot caught between the bamboo a couple
of times before they get the hang of it. But
(22:12):
this goes without saying, but there wasn't much usual about
Kobe Bean Bryant, I mean just awesome. You could see
no fear, the focus, the mama mentality and everything he did.
How do you think he developed the footwork. I know exactly.
You're welcome, Kobe, right, You're welcome Kobe. So I guess
(22:36):
the only question left is whether you think another NBA
star might eventually find a similar bond to the one
Kobe had with the Philippines. You know, the King Lebron James,
He's not far off. That's the sound of Lebron dunking
in the Pact Mall of Asia Arina. He's already traveled
(23:01):
to the country three times. He has a preserved print
of his hand at the tenement court, and you know,
he's reaching out to Filipino fans more and more through
something that I've been lucky enough to have had a
small hand in, working with and collaborations with local brands
like Titan to create new versions of his Lebrons with
Philippine inspired colorways and design elements. It's different from the
(23:24):
way Kobe showed us that he cared with his enormous
personality and mega watch charm, but that attention to detail
and that desire to pay tribute to the Philippines Basketball
love affair, it hits the same spot right in the heart.
Coming up next, we're talking to Cattan, also known as
the One Armed Mamba. She's just one example the impact
(23:45):
Kobe had during his visits the Philippaines, and I can't
wait for you to hear her story. So one more
thing about that trip Kobe Bryan made to the Philippines
in nineteen ninety eight, that also happened to be the
first chance Kobe got to meet a young fan who
(24:06):
was going through an incredibly difficult time who would, over
the years, with help from the inspirations she found in
Kobe's game and in Mamba mentality, go on to become
a Philippine basketball icon in her own right, and someone
whose story has the power to spread that inspiration even further.
Filipinos and Kobe we do share the same passion for
(24:28):
the sport, for the game, for basketball. So I guess
that's one thing that makes us one. Meet cattan Aka,
the One Armed Mamba. When I was ten years old,
when I had my accident in nineteen ninety six, two
years before Kobe's first trip to Manila, she boarded a
(24:49):
roller coaster at her grade school's annual carnival, and moments
after the ride began, the coaster derailed. One student died
in the accident. Several suffered grave injuries and had to
be rushed to the hospital. Kat lost her arm in
the collapse. And what I was recovering in the hospital,
I was watching his game, and back then he wasn't
(25:12):
really just you know, it wasn't like the superstar that
he was. But you know, there's something about him that
strike me. Two years later, Kat, an avid basketball fan,
was invited to meet Kobe Bryant, the nineteen year old
NBA prodigy making his first ever visit to the Philippines.
They took a picture together. Kobe called her by a nickname,
(25:35):
Cat Cat, and the rest of the story is hers
to tell. When I heard that he was visiting here
in the Philippines, you know, I asked my cousin, who
was working in the place where he was gonna do
is his event? And you know, I was just there
to just a spectator. I was just so happy to
see him play with the kids. And by the time
(25:57):
that you know, everyone is going home, I was. I
was ready to go home. And one of the writers
or journalists of a newspaper recognized me because I was
already playing varsity basketball at that time, and he recognized
me and asked me like or the one who like
schoolby and I was like, yeah, I'm his friend, and
(26:20):
you know, I got a free pass to meet him
and had lunch with him. And that was the first
time I you know, I was beside him and talked
to him and it was amazing. It was the first
It was our first meeting. Yeah, you had lunch with him, Yeah,
but I wasn't able to eat. I was like, just
(26:40):
like next, Yeah, Kobe had lunch and I was just
right beside him. I was just like looking at him
while he was talking to me, and I was like yeah, yeah.
I was just like, I was what did he eat?
I need to know the details of this unic this
lunch or city next to Kobe Bryant. He's eating what
(27:02):
you're not eating? What? Oh? Yeah? Definitely there was a rise.
Never really I had a quoto of it. I don't
remember what the dish was, but definitely there was a
rise and some meat of some sorts. I don't know.
I don't remember eat with his hands though, because that's
like the true no, no, come on Kobe. That was
(27:27):
his first visit, but by visit number seventeen, Kobe was
full on eating with his hands off off of a
Banana LEAs probably probably the rest of his stay here.
He was able to try it. But at that time,
who was like he was really it was also like
just talking to me. And I think that was the
first time because that was the first time I met him.
(27:48):
I didn't know like how he was with with his
fans or or like you know, with with others, because
he's like, he's like Kobe, He's I mean, that's the
start of his career, of his rising career. And he
really wasn'to like talking to you and he didn't care
(28:08):
like who you are. He was just like, oh, I
want to know what you want or what you're into,
and and he really just listens. He's into the conversation.
I mean, he's just not doing it just because he's
like Kobe Bryant and he knows that you are his fant.
(28:29):
Kobe's friendship might have ended there, but they met a
second time. The second time when he had his visit here,
also when he had an event, and I was able
to show our first photo to him at the second
time we met, and the first time, he was still
the frobe and he still had the yeah, he still
(28:50):
had his afro hair. And when he saw his photos like, oh,
oh my god, look at that hair. What what would like?
And they met again in twenty sixteen. It was a
t day camp and each day players get cut and
I was able to make it to the final twenty
(29:12):
four and I was like, yeah, it was amazing, and
you know, that moment I realized like how special it was.
And I was around thirty at that time, and the
players that I was with, they're in like their high
school years, college years, They're like, you know, playing competitively,
(29:35):
and I was just like, you know, I was still
playing basketball, but just for fun. I was like, you know,
I was already working at that time, and I was
like with this young kids and that camp we were
like the final twenty four. During the event, while we
were having our breaks, I bravely came up to him
(29:59):
and I was like, Hey, do you remember me. I
was like, oh my god, what am I doing? And
he was like dribbling, dribbling the balls, like yeah, of
course I remember you. And I was like when I
when I walked away, I was like, oh, of course not.
You don't remember me. And I think there's just something
at the back of my head like I'm gonna I'm
(30:20):
gonna make this this event memorable. I'm gonna make you
remember me everybody. At the end of the event, Kobe
(30:45):
had a challenge for the camp. His challenge was the
last part of the event and everyone is like raising
her head. Kat raised her hand and Kobe picked her.
(31:09):
She made the shot. Nothing but net, I just did
what I what I had to do. I just I
just had my weight And yeah, you know it happened.
You have the nickname of One Armed Mamba. How how
did that come about? What's the story behind you getting
(31:30):
the nickname One Armed Mamba? And who gave it to you? Yeah?
First I gave it to myself. No, I mean, um,
it started to actually UM before I kind of had
that validated, there was this UM event. It was. It
(31:53):
was a Nike event at that time, I was able to,
you know, join that and I registered and they were like, okay,
you can tag yourself. You can tag your heat name
and then all and then so you can register. So
I was like, okay, my name is like it's not
that interesting, and I was like, okay, I'm gonna I'm
gonna make it interesting. So I changed it to that,
(32:14):
and then you know, I registered and I was like, Okay,
by the start of the event until the last day
of the event, I use that name, and you know,
little did I know that after the event that would
change my life entirely. That shot at the twenty sixteen
practice where Kobe challenged someone to make a three pointer
(32:36):
or doom the rest of the camp to run validated
the nickname for her. Momba for me is not really
just like a nickname. It represents like Kobe and how
he is on the court and how he takes every
challenge on and off the court. So for me, I
mean the one arm, I mean, I don't even need
(32:59):
to explain that spart but yeah, for me, the Mamba
is just not like an evening tender percents like how
I am that you know, I'm ready to take on
any challenge every day on and off the court. Everyone
we talked to about the Philippines love for Kobe said
something along these lines that it's the Mamba mentality that
(33:20):
resonates so much with Filipino fans. Not to mention he
kept coming back. His repeated trips to the Philippines showed
bands that their connection with both ways Kobe has always
been like even bigger than Jordan and Lebron. That's c. J. Tlenano,
Filipino American writer, director, comedian and the founder of follow
(33:41):
Through Studios. I mean, I think it's just him. He
kind of like made it a point to go out
to the Philippines. And here's Jimmy A. Laban. He's a
PBA legend and currently is a G League assistant coach
for the Stockton Kings. When I played throughout my career,
I only wore Kobe's you know, Kobe actually went to
the Philipines his rookieyear. And I think that that connection
(34:03):
with the country and sharing that love and passion for
the game with him and then him coming you know,
to the country all the time, I think it really
just made that connection much much deeper than I think
some of the other players. And getting a chance to
meet him multiple times was very very special. Even his last,
his last visit to Manila, they had this special ceremony
(34:25):
to just kind of dedicate the Arnetta Coliseum, the historic
Arnetta Coliseum, to Kobe and they had a frame picture
of him kind of walking out of the arena. And
because he had made multiple trips to the country, you know,
for probably the last decade, and that particular time he
got a chance to meet my son and my daughter
and we had a chance to talk afterward, and you know,
(34:47):
again I gotten a chance to kind of relatively get
to norm from the previous six seven times he'd been
in the country, and so you know, when he met
my kids, he said, oh man, you have your kids.
You know I have my daughters back in the States,
And so it was it was a very very special
connection from because he had such a huge influence on
my career, not just with his shoes, but the character,
the work ethic. You know, it's something that helped drive
(35:08):
me being so far away from home and being the
Philippines to play. So having that moment with him was
something I'll definitely always remember. Thanks for listening to episode
four of Hoops Paradise the Philippines Love of the game.
Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you
get podcasts, and check out episode five or we'll be
(35:29):
examining the NBA dream from a Philippine perspective. I felt
like I didn't have experience. I also felt somewhere subconsciously
that I didn't look like your typical NBA head coach.
I wasn't an older veteran coach, wasn't white. You don't
really know what box to put me in, so I
just knew subconsciously that I didn't look the part, and
(35:51):
that kind of messes with you a little bit. And
then my family started to tell me that I was
the first Asian coach and the first Filipino head coaching
in any sport, and then it became a source of pride.
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