For me, a foreigner who lived in the Philippines, fell in love with its basketball culture, and came to see the country as a second home, watching Gilas play swelled me with the kind of fullhearted pride I’ve felt only a few times before. Gilas showed that Philippine basketball — this thing that I’d felt was special since I first landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in 2005, that I’d dedicated much of my career to — was not just a quirky hoops human interest story but instead a brand of world-class basketball that charmed and impressed fans all over the globe. Basically, Gilas validated me. And I imagine that millions of Filipinos felt a similar fulfillment last week, only several times greater, because in my case Philippine basketball is an interest that I care deeply about, and for them, it’s in their bones. - Rafe Bartholomew, Author of Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin in Flip-Flops and the Philippines Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball ~Admin Ben grantland/the-triangle/philippines-2014-fiba-world-cup-andray-blatche-jordan-clarkson-los-angeles-lakers/
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 17:46:54 +0000
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