Who has basketball in their DNA?
In 1994, a rap duo called the Legit Misfitz rose to prominence in the Philippine hip-hop scene. Their second most-popular song, Air Tsinelas (literally, ‘Air Flip-flops’) is about Filipinos’ passion for basketball. The title of the first is borderline unfit for publishing.
Patas sa Adidas ang aming tsinelas, patas sa Puma ang aming tsinelas, patas sa Nike ang aming tsinelas… basketball, basketball, wearing
our tsinelas we’re standing tall... Which means: flip-flops — especially Philippine-made ones, as mentioned in other parts of the lyrics — are at par with the most popular sneakers.
My contemporaries will remember this song. It mentions the names of legends of Philippine hoops as well. And it’s widely accepted that the title is in honour of the Air Jordan sneaker line, the most popular basketball kicks of all time worn by His Airness, Michael Jordan.
And while the song is indeed about flip-flops, it also sums up how gaga Filipinos are about the sport.
Take a trip to the Philippines and you’ll see basketball hoops everywhere — a full-court, half-court or any makeshift ground. As a child, I installed a basketball goal in my room and attached an empty tin of ice cream to my wardrobe closet using three screws.
The mania didn’t stop there. I used to fantasise that I was in a league of my own, on the Philippine Basketball Association. I created my own teams and had my friends and classmates on the rosters — and, of course, I was the star: drafted No.1 overall in 1989, I would play in 21 seasons until retiring in 2009. I would be the only rookie to win MVP, the first of what would be a record seven. I would win 24 championships, including three grand slams (won all three conferences in one season). An 18-time all-star (left out of three because of injuries — yes, I wasn’t perfect in my own perfect world), and other accolades I imagined for myself.
I wouldn’t be surprised if others had similar secret delusions. Who says the so-called fantasy basketball picked up recently? We’ve always been crazy about basketball. It’s embedded in the Filipino DNA. A female friend once told me that she’s turned off by Filipino dudes who don’t know how to play the sport.
It’s been said that Filipinos — not exactly the tallest race in the world; six-footers are quite rare compared to other countries — should concentrate on other sports in which height isn’t an issue, like football. Play to your strengths, as they say. But who cares about that? Strength is in the passion. The NBA has started holding pre-season games in the Philippines, and superstars such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have played in exhibition matches there, proving that it’s on their radar.
Basketball is, without doubt, the most popular sport in the nation of over 7,100 islands — it is what cricket is to Indians and Pakistanis. The Americans introduced it when they colonised the country, just a decade after Dr James Naismith invented it in Massachussetts in 1891.
I used to fantasise that I was in a league of my own, on the Philippine Basketball Association. I created my own teams and had my friends and classmates on the rosters — and, of course, I was the star
The Philippine national men’s basketball team debuted at the Olympics at the 1936 Berlin games where it placed fifth — to this day, its best finish. And here are a couple of little-known facts: that’s also the highest place by an Asian team ever at the Olympics (powerhouse China has managed only eighth place on three occasions), and the Philippines’ 25-win total at the Summer Games is also the highest in the region.
While I was living in the fantasy world, I was also heavily involved with the sport. My nephew, five years younger than me, taught me how to play. I have him to thank because he pushed me and neither of us allowed ourselves to be one-upped by the other.
Basketball courts were the second homes of my friends and I. We could play from morning to night. My mom had to drag me home. I was in local recreational basketball leagues growing up. There wasn’t cash involved, but the prestige of being on a roster, let alone winning a championship, was enough to brag about — plus, it impressed the girls.
I’ve lost count of how often I’ve sprained my ankle and its turned purple. Numerous pulled muscles. I have a long list of injuries; my dislocated left ring finger (if it weren’t for my reflexes, my head would’ve taken that ball). I was so confident of myself that I — all five-feet-four-inches of me — tried out for my university’s varsity team, stacked against bigger, quicker, more-seasoned men.
You can guess how that panned out. I would have had a different career. But anyway, the sense of satisfaction I experienced getting that close to real competitive basketball was priceless. And thanks to a breakaway lay-up and a lucky bounce on a jump-shot, I scored a whopping grand total of 4 points during the tryouts!
If I remember correctly, I only took four attempts, and a 50 per cent field goal percentage is great on any day. I take solace in the fact that that’s a better figure than a lot of players in the NBA have had in their entire careers.
Today, the Philippine national men’s basketball team is making a noise again on the international scene, but it always falls short of the goal that would take it to the Olympics.
Maybe we’re still searching for that Yao Ming, responsible for catapulting China into the NBA mainstream. In the league, for some time now, we’ve had the Miami Heat head coach and two-time champion, Erik Spoelstra, and Cleveland Cavaliers guard, Jordan Clarkson — both Filipino-Americans. That’s a good start.
And speaking of the NBA, The Finals is on between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. As the Legit Misfitz sang, we’re standing tall.