New dad Bolick inspired to win PBA title

NLEX star Robert Bolick is thrilled to win his first Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) crown after his wife, Cassandra, had given birth to their first child recently.

Bolick said he is over the moon over the birth of Zachary Wardell Robert, inspiring him to lead the Road Warriors to the Philippine Cup crown.

So far, the Road Warriors have already secured the sixth seed in the quarterfinals, where they will face sister team Meralco in a best-of-three affair.

Despite the pressure and the demands of making a deep playoff run, Bolick said he still makes sure to fulfill his new role as father to his new baby and husband to his wife whenever he goes home.

“I was able to sleep well and she didn’t wake me up. She’s the one who’s making sacrifices to take care of our son as she knows how important basketball is to me,” said Bolick, who led NLEX with 25 points, six rebounds and eight assists in their 76-72 win over Barangay Ginebra last Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“They are the reasons why I am doubling my efforts in training. At home, I try to take care of our son. Coach Frankie (Lim) told me my viewpoint in life changes when I have a kid.”

True enough, Bolick played like a man on a mission during their game against the league’s most popular team.

He knocked down the three-pointer that gave the Road Warriors their biggest lead of the night, 71-58, in the final 7:43 to deal a major blow to the Kings’ bid of preserving the win.

Ginebra tried to fight back and dropped a 13-2 blast ion the next six minutes to slice the deficit to within one, 73-72, off a pair of charities from Maverick Ahanmisi in the final 32 seconds, but Baser Amer split his charities to give NLEX a two-point lead and seal the win.