THE CHARISMA OF BASKETBALL

MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY WITH NBA

Basketball was the form of sports I played apart from football soccer when I was youngish. At first, in my kindergarten, I had seen my elder brother Joel, chronically played soccer with his circle of friends every afternoon at the elementary school`s playground, I also saw him once played basketball but I`d heard from their story that they were in a brawl against their opponents in the middle of the game. I thought that basketball was a tough sport since bad people also enjoyed the sport and I didn’t want to socialize with them. I played football eminently and I adored it and trying to become a soccer icon like Maradona at that instant.

         My family migrated on 1980`s to a different place called Naawan, where the place that my father whose friend would help him a greener pasture in his employment. Naawan was a small town where people only had fewer population and almost everyone knew each other very well. In my elementary days in Naawan, I was a bit baffled because I did not noticed a soccer field, I`d seen boys merely played native traditional games, I adapted and enjoined it.

         One day, on an early Saturday morning, I went to their public plaza and I`d seen elder boys played basketball and I watched them and I saw them cheerful playing. I thought it was entertaining since they played and shots well. Until one day, classes was suspended and my classmates invited me to play basketball and I told them, “ I don’t` know how to play basketball but only football soccer”. They insisted me because they were only four and they needed one to complete the line up and we competed at the public plaza against those bystanders. I was anxious because it was my first time to play such a tough sports.

          The game started, it was a 5x5 game using the whole court. My teammate passed me the ball, but I didn`t know about dribbling and I heard a call from the referee, a double dribble violation. The crowd was chuckled and yelling at me to focus attentively. My teammate had the rebound, and I saw them running towards the other court, I also ran to nowhere until I felt the ball on my head that made me slipped on the cemented court and I felt dizzy as I had seen many stars in the sky. It was supposed to be a fast break pass from my team mate. I was so embarrassed and I felt to give up but my teammates insisted me not to leave because the game was not over yet. They said just stay on the side, just try to check the ball and give it up the ball without dribbling. That was my most melancholic and my most wistful experience in playing basketball.

       As I headed through a small garden of my father along my sister`s company. I saw flocked of people of different ages, there was a whole family too, watching basketball in a betamax, long time ago, rich people in my hometown could only afford this kind of videotape that had recorded films and sports and similar to VHS. There was still no live telecast cable ready connections and everything they watched was all delayed in a couple of days. There were loud voices cheered up and it made me curious about the incident. I saw on TV screen, tall, burly black and white men played basketball with appealing basketball jerseys. It was NBA ( National Basketball Association). Year 1981, a championship game between Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets, I couldn`t remember if it was game 1 or 2, all I saw was a clever type three point sharpshooter in every angle with faultless shots, a good passer and a mighty rebounder. He was named “ Larry Bird”, a white man with moustache and had a well built tall body. I could remember, when everyone was playing basketball at the public plaza, Larry Bird was always the name I perceived when someone shots in a three points line. Everyone loved Larry Bird, his accuracy in every game he played. He was one of the most dynamical basketball player at that time along with Kevin Mchale of Boston Celtics. He was so influential in every local basketball tournaments I`ve known during my time. He played real basketball and an “Ambassador of National Basketball Association”. This was my opinion and to others who witnessed this amazing vibrant player.

        My father scolded me that night because I forgotten to fetch water for our little vegetable garden. My father was also a basketball fan, he was a fan of Los Angeles Lakers but he failed to mention big names of Lakers. He enjoyed more in watching our own local national basketball tournament which was the PBA, the acronym of Philippine Basketball Association. He admitted that NBA had the biggest influence in basketball to our country but he loved to see also the local players like Ramon Fernandez of Toyota because he played like his favorite player in Los Angeles Lakers, their excellent tall center and loved to do hook shots, Kareem Abdul Jabar.

        Our place in Naawan only had the local national basketball aired in our national TV`s and whoever had the television during that time, their house became a football stadium to watch free and because a lot of us couln`t afford to buy a television and I noticed people loved to see basketball rather than entertainment and news. Richer residents who had betamax also shared their recorded tapes of NBA games which they bought from the nearby cities. It was so fun to reminisce these unforgettable memories and I couldn`t believe there were no robbing incidents ever happened with a lot of hundreds of people flocked together to see basketball games in our neighborhood except for some, they had to tease younger ones to hide their rubber slippers and so when they went home, their parents spanked them for losing their slippers.

Naawan was one of the smallest municipality in the province. On 1984, I played as the Captain Ball on a junior level of a basketball tournament which was sponsored by local government. Local basketball tournaments in our place was the highlight if we had the annual fiesta celebrations. Basketball was life in this small town. Every town had to join the basketball league and each team had a star player on which people waited for them to amuse. You couldn`t imagine a small town became a NBA finals crowd during every second games which was the senior levels .Too may spectators for elimination round, play offs had more and the championship round was like in a superbowl. Families would come out from their houses to see their supported favorite teams.

         Local teams was also merrymaking to see in the league. There were exciting acrobatic shots, magical assists, skilled dribbling and flawless shootings. Local players also stunning and energetic because they were construction workers, fishermen, farmers and porters. Although their skills in defense was not the priority, it was maybe they lack of formal training in basketball. These talented players imitated those techniques only after they watched NBA and our local league which is the PBA from that well off neighborhoods.

         In one late afternoon, it was a championship game between the strongest teams in our town. Coincidentally, it was an Olympic game, a basketball championship game between USA and Spain. It was televised and everyone was with that infrequent exhilarating event. While I was watching basketball league in the public plaza, I wondered only few people watched. Luckily, a friend of mine named Arlon, informed me to go to our neighbor`s house to watch Olympic game between the two teams. He told me that the players of USA was mostly from NBA, he even mentioned a player named Michael Jordan, a Chicago Bulls star, who was with that team, would dominate the game because of his sensational dunks and irresistible outside shootings. But most of all, was his famous bird like flying stunts with that tongue coming out from his mouth.

 During that game, I thought the whole world stopped. Our town, as we walked a hundred yards towards our neighbor, was hushed and I saw no one in the streets of Magsaysay as we headed down to Sacabin family`s house to watch Michael Jordan, the Air. It was my first time to see Jordan playing and it was so remarkable. He was that good leader to his team along with the well known Perkins. Spain was a solid team and had a good strong spirit to battle against those selected players from the USA team. I thought it was the beginning of my interest on a Chicago Bulls Star right after the game. I couldn`t slept well the whole night tried to recall those impossible moves of MJ that were so splendid. I`ve read on the newspapers on the next day that the game between the two teams would be an exemplary Olympics game ever played in history. And that`s because of the NBA stars who played.and I thought that NBA started to become more and more trendy in the history of basketball all over the world

1986, I graduated from high school. My family migrated in the nearby city of Iligan. I attended to a semi government owned institute of technology. In that city, live telecast of NBA was already used. I was so delighted to see players from the different teams of NBA unlike in the countryside, our rich neighbors would only selected their favorite teams to be recorded on tapes. But the problem was, you`ll had to order the food to be able to sit and watch live NBA games. Thus, I started to know Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks.

I couldn`t follow the games who played in the schedules which was posted outside their premises. It was only because I had a class but because of poverty. I couldn`t watched because I had no money to buy for a short order food in that fast food. Sometimes, I had to peep outside along with the bystanders just to see the score. But before the playoffs, I made it sure I had the budget just to watch NBA championships. I asked my brother Joel who also a basketball player and my sister Anna and Bebie for the extra money for me to watch the Finals of the NBA. They supported me because they knew how I loved the game. The NBA games.

In that neighborhood, was quiet different than in the countryside. They didn`t usually get along with each other that much except for the boys who would want to go to other places to play basketball to bet. I played differently that`s what my newly found friends told me. They were more on physical contact and accurate on outside shooting.  What they wanted was to win the game and get the money and drink to our local coconut wine, tuba .But to be honest, they played smartly in defense. They definitely played like as they were in the NBA. They loved game plans and chemistry on the game, it was gonna be more on scientific rather than traditional. That was why, when they played as an invited team in our hometown, people would started to clap their hands because they played sleekly and artistically with easy sheet plays from their brilliant coaches. Offensive and defensive tactics in the game was their prerogative. Otherwise it was simply a NBA copycat

My father`s favorite team, Los Angeles Lakers defeated Boston Celtics on the year 1987. It was 4 games to 2 in the finals. I`d seen on this team for the first time, I`d seen another magnificent  player named Magic Johnson of L.A. Lakers. Incredible pass and flashy fast breaks was his specialization. Good leadership and so meticulous in every game he played. All of his techniques were all smoothly performed together with his teammates. At first, I thought it would be Boston Celtics, because I thought this fellow was a lousy fatty slow moving player. It was my misconception, He had four eyes like a motorcycle rider. He saw his opponents ahead from left to right and from right to left his fellow can ran the show like a superhuman. I saw a collegiate varsity player once during the summer league in that city, who played similar to his moves and people would call him Magic because he played like the NBA Lakers Star. I remembered one team in the local league copied the uniform of Lakers and tailors sold out their LA Lakers jersey displays. Basketball announcers would call a player Magic Johnson if he passed the ball in acrobatics. Magic Johnson was the center of attraction in basketball right after they won the 1986-87 NBA championship and until the next season beating the defensive fearless team Detroit Pistons.

 On 1988, I moved to my sister into a different city of Butuan and attended in a private school. Butuan was a city known for their love on the game basketball. Every place and streets had their own basketball courts and even on their own backyards. Every afternoon, they played basketball on the neighborhood while students from elementary, high school and college played basketball right after their classes. Collegiate basketball tournament was among the most popular sports in the city. It means basketball was already part of their lives and they also loved our national basketball games being aired at our favorite local channels. NBA, similar with other cities, Butuan had fast foods and restaurants that offers live NBA games using satellite cables to cover every NBA games.

 I was watching live NBA championship, 1988-89 43rd season. The restaurant named Boulevard was full of crowd supporting their favorite teams between Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons. I honestly did not pay my tuition fee in college that time because I had to watch the exciting games between this two most vigorous teams in the history of NBA.

What I saw was another kind of NBA. It was different. People laughed and annoyed at the same time while watching at that particular game. I saw a tower of power, a strong muscular defensive player and a stunning rebounder named Dennis Rodman of Detroit Pistons. “ it was a dirty game” according to the person behind my back. But for me, after all it was NBA. Lot of experiences and challenges in the game. It was Dennis Rodman who popularized the box out rebounding and strong defensive strategies. I saw one basketball tournament in the city, played well like Dennis Rodman. People loved him but some shouted at him because the opponent was fatally injured. But after all, it was from NBA ideas imitated by fanatic players of basketball NBA stars. It only shown team`s solidarity and teamwork of the team. Detroit Piston`s was one of the most hated team in our city but it was much appreciated by the coaches and in fact basketball players. They even started to wear Celtics jerseys in the prominent names of Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman and Joe Dumars. However, The Lakers championship. Magic Johnson was the MVP while Dennis Rodman was the most defensive player.                                                                                                                     

  My sister Anna Marie brought me to Cebu, a different city that was located in the central part of my country whose economy was more developed and progressive. She helped my studies and enrolled me to an expensive private University. This city had also lot of basketball fanatics. Those privates schools would picked up strongest players from different parts in the region just to join their line up as Collegiate basketball varsities. Cebu is the second largest city in my country, Philippines.  There were also commercial and intercollegiate leagues wherein our national basketball association which is the PBA would pick up and scouted these talented and extra ordinary basketball players. Local leagues like inter town was also very popular and the players played like commercial players. I played once in a local basketball league but I was benched because I played differently and awkwardly. I observed their rules was different and the players in the league was already a NBA mimic. Basketball players in Cebu, played good in defense and they loved hard physical contacts and if you’re loose then you were out of the game.

My neighbors in Cebu City were also NBA fanatics. They loved NBA. They loved to follow games from elimination round down to the championship round. Luckily that time, TV cable channels were already available. These young fellows already knew all NBA teams and their history. They were already knowledgeable on which player had to be drafted, their statistics and styles and even their contracts in the NBA. They even knew literally the standings on every NBA team in that season. They were meticulous all about NBA, they knew well including those who were injured and free agent players. This city is a NBA family.

This year was Michael Jordan`s 2nd year crown as Champion on 1991-92 NBA championship against Portland Trailblazers. This superb player had brought the entire city to an unforgettable elegant and happiest celebration. “ this Player is GOD “ according to his avid fans. In the University that I attended, Nike Air shoes was the trend but because I couldn`t afford to buy one, I asked my classmate named Erwin to buy his used Nike shoes. Chicago Bulls jerseys and caps were sold out. No. 23 of Chicago Bulls jersey was amongst the favorite uniform which were hand made from well known tailors and shops along the busy streets of Colon and Manalili. Jordan was always the special mention of everyone from the basketball players, vendors, government workers, policemen, lawyers, firemen, priests. military, bystanders. teachers, students in all walks of life. Michael Jordan was the most influential person during that time after beating Portland Trailblazer. He was the MVP that made him as the “ the SYMBOL of NBA”.

 2020, two of the winningest NBA team of all time clustered for the 2020 championship finals. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat. It was a tremendous event. It was fun to see on one of the most respectable duo in NBA history. Lebron James and Anthony Davis, I thought they were the “ Gods of the Millennium” in NBA. Recollecting Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O`neal, the fantastic duo on their era, this one now was completely had different game style and approach. Lebron James as expected as irresistible penetrations, tenacious defensive rebounds and the authentic leadership in the court.

 Anthony Davis, one of the most well rounded center in NBA. A millennial giant player who could dribble like a point guard, shots a 3 pointer like a shooting guard, fast breaks like a power forward and incredible blocks. Surprising assists, exceptional reboundings and stunning perimeter shooting. He is the foundation of a millennial “ NBA Stars” One of the smartest center in the NBA. He often teared down the game plans of the famous mathematician Miami Heat Coach Eric Spoestra. the brain of the Class A players excellent game plans against all other outstanding teams during playoffs.

          I was with the circle of friends enjoying the ball game since game 1. We never missed to watch this very heartening team of the Los Angeles Lakers and the surprising existence of the quick speedy young guns of Miami heat.

          Finally, it ended with Los Angeles Lakers to win the 2020 NBA championship. The whole Los Angeles celebrated including the fans all over the universe. Despite of the pandemic, L.A. Lakers fanatics had their own versions of celebrating the much awaited come back of the Laker`s history. The dedication of their hardwork for the NBA hero Kobe Bryant, who passed away few months ago. I thought Kobe was with them during their vibrant celebrations.