Filipinos share an undeniable love for basketball. In every street in the Philippines, you’d see a makeshift basketball court. In Dubai, this sports also bring Filipino expats together, serving as their stress-reliever after long day of work. You can see them in their full gears, or, shirtless, while some play with their Michael Jordan’s. Filipino male expats know this: months before the latest Nike shoes are released, they’ve already had a pre-order of it online.
Plus, who isn’t familiar of Filipino basketball classics like Robert Jaworski, Alvin Patrimonio, Allan Caidic, and Johnny Abarrientos? Or the new-blood younger players that include James Yap, Mark Caguioa, Arwind Santos, and Paul Lee? You’ve probably heard of them one way or another.
When it comes to actual games, there is a professional level such as PBA and D-League and collegiate level with UAAP and NCAA. There are also barangay leagues where each barangay creates their own team and battle it out to win a basketball trophy.
So, why do Filipinos have this massive obsession over basketball?
1- You build friendship and camaraderie inside the court
Basketball is a social game. Players need to work as a team and communicate with each other to win, whether in 5-on-5 or 3-on-3 games.
Filipinos can easily adjust even to strangers because of our social nature – this also applies in basketball. Players can be competitive and fun at the same time even if they are playing with total strangers.
When a basketball game is on, it is on regardless of who they are playing with.
2- Filipinos are passionate, and basketball is a game of passion
Like any other sport, basketball is a game of emotions. In moments where both teams are equally talented, the game boils down to ‘who wants it more’. It is in these moments where legends are born. This is the moment where experience, maturity, composure, and passion go altogether and the team that has the best mix takes home the trophy.
This is also where resilience matters – a trait often associated with Filipinos. As one famous catchphrase of the Barangay Ginebra team says, “Never give up”, and indeed the team that does not give up, wins.
3- It is simple, but dirty at the same time
As mentioned, in the Philippines, there is a makeshift court found in every street. This simplicity hooks Filipinos. Although it is important to be in complete gears for safety and comfort reasons, basketball can be played in any time and place.
Basketball players in the Philippines do not need full courts to enjoy and play the game. All it really takes is a basketball, the players, and a ring and you already have a basketball game.
As simple as it sounds like, basketball is not an easy sport to play. It is a very physical game with bumps during rebounds and taps during steals. Beyond the physical nature of the game, basketball is also a game of emotions. In both professional and small-scale basketball games, there will be questionable fouls and calls that will test players’ composure.
The physical-emotional mix in basketball makes it a simple yet dirty game, and Filipinos cannot help but love it.
4- We love underdogs
It is the fourth quarter, the score is 85-72 with less than two minutes remaining. Despite the big margin, Filipinos would still root for the trailing team. Why? Because Filipinos love rooting for the underdogs.
Similar to Filipinos’ love for telenovelas, the weak should prevail against the strong. Filipinos love success stories so much that even with the impossible, basketball fans continue to hope for the best.
5- Some players’ lives changed because of basketball
Since basketball is arguably the most popular sport in the Philippines, teams in both collegiate and professional level dive hard to get that legacy of winning a championship trophy. However, before they achieve that, they need to create a team of very skilled players.
Many professional basketball players’ lives today changed because of basketball. They were able to study in respected schools for free in exchange of playing for their collegiate team and proceed to professional level, and is now earning thousands of pesos, millions even for some, per year.
One player who experienced this is Arwind Santos. Santos used to sell scraps, wash cars, and drive a pedicab just to get by as a young teenager. He was recruited to play for the Far Eastern University because of his impressive basketball skills and from there, his life has changed.
Stories like this inspire young basketball players to be better in the sport.
