WEBVTT - Episode 6 - Born and Raised 0:00:02.120 --> 0:00:05.520 I think people literally pray for this, and of course 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:08.320 they do. I mean, look at the I mean the DNA, 0:00:08.400 --> 0:00:11.000 and I'll move to the science as well as the 0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:14.640 spirit of this. Like the DNA of the Filipino right, 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:20.640 it is defiant. It is so defiant in the face 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:23.760 of a basic fact that says this sport is not 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:31.840 for you. This is our final episode and we want 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:34.400 to look into the future and ask what it will 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:37.200 take for the Philippines to develop the player who will 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:41.080 eventually make the dream come true. The country, with what 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:44.400 I believe are the most passionate basketball fans in the world, 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:47.680 can't wait much longer for it. But the good news 0:00:47.800 --> 0:00:51.560 is I don't think they'll have to. Thanks to everyone 0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:55.120 for listening throughout the series and for sharing the love 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:57.840 of the game that exists in the Philippines like no 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:02.760 other place in this world. Welcome to Episode six of 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:08.360 Hoops Paradise. The Philippines love up the game basketball basketball. 0:01:09.240 --> 0:01:21.560 Archell stand Nico. I hate to say it, but disappointed 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:24.600 in you. Whoa whoa whoa me? What did I do? 0:01:25.080 --> 0:01:27.840 It's just that if you believed in yourself like I 0:01:27.959 --> 0:01:30.760 believe in you, I think the Philippines could have already 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:34.120 had that elusive first born and raised NBA player that 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:38.880 the entire nation's been waiting decades to see. Well, well, well, 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:41.319 you know when I watched the league these days, I 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:44.080 can't tell you how often I find myself sitting there 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:48.680 watching just the absolutely dominant play of so many, so 0:01:48.720 --> 0:01:53.120 many five foot nine and three quarter inch guards who've 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:55.680 lost a step and maybe never even had anything to 0:01:55.760 --> 0:01:59.400 deserve to be called a step to begin with, and thinking, wow, 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:02.960 I really am the prototype for the modern NBA. Fully, 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:06.000 I had you around to push me to greatness when 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:08.960 I was just a little bit younger. It's what I do. 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:12.720 But seriously, though, Nico, I'm curious why you think the Philippines, 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:15.679 a country of more than one hundred million people where 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:19.960 basketball is the unrivaled number one sport, hasn't produced an 0:02:20.040 --> 0:02:23.640 NBA player yet. I mean, before we get there, let's 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:26.760 look at the history of NBA players from East Asian 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:30.200 nations and remember that any single kids' chances of being 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:32.440 one of the four hundred and fifty players on an 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:36.919 active NBA roster at any given time they're tiny, no 0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:40.440 matter where you're born, true, true, I mean, despite the 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:43.680 NBA's growth, and popularity in the region. East Asia is 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:47.640 still in its developmental stages as a potential source for 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:50.960 NBA talent. I mean, only ten players in history have 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:53.160 grown up in the region and then made it to 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:56.560 the league, six from China, three from Japan, and one 0:02:56.639 --> 0:02:59.680 from South Korea, and Southeast Asia has yet to produce 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:03.240 an b A player. There have been several more NBA 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:06.120 players of Asian descent who were raised in the States, 0:03:06.200 --> 0:03:10.240 like Jeremy Lynn, the pioneering Japanese American guard wat Missaka, 0:03:10.400 --> 0:03:15.160 and the Filipino Americans Raymond Townsend, Jordan Clarkson, and Jalen Green. 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:19.320 Of those ten East Asian players, only Yalming, the former 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:22.560 Houston Rockets center who was inducted into the Naysmith Memorial 0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:25.760 Basketball Hall of Fame in twenty sixteen, made an MBA 0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:29.240 All Star team. Eight of them if you're keeping count, 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:45.440 sure we're in the Wariam Shark. Others like Jan Lyon 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:49.520 and Wang Gigi, had long, significant careers in the NBA 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:52.760 but never quite broke through among the league's best players. 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:57.920 Japanese forwards Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards and Utawatanabe 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:00.440 of the Brooklyn Nets are off to promising starts in 0:04:00.480 --> 0:04:03.520 their careers, but they don't project to be future All Stars. 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:07.920 So basically, even the most powerful and well resourced nations 0:04:07.920 --> 0:04:10.720 in the Philippines global Neck of the Woods have been 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:14.520 slower to produce NBA talent as rapidly as other continents 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:19.400 outside of North America, like Europe, Africa, and Australia. And 0:04:19.520 --> 0:04:23.120 that's fine as basketball fans, or sports fans in general, 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:25.480 or just plain old human beings for that matter, But 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:27.880 we don't have to treat everything like the metal count 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:31.560 at an Olympic Games. But here in the Philippines, the 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:33.680 elephant in the room when it comes to why the 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:37.839 nation hasn't produced an NBA player yet has always been hyped. 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:41.320 I remember in episode four what coach Dick Mada said 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:44.640 in nineteen seventy nine after his Washington Bullets beat a 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:47.839 team of PBA All Stars in the first ever exhibition 0:04:47.880 --> 0:04:52.000 game between NBA players and Filipino pros held on Philippine soil. 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:56.400 Good big men will surely beat good little men, but 0:04:56.520 --> 0:04:59.120 come on, that can't be the whole story. The fact 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:02.160 that Filipinos on average are among the shortest people in 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:04.680 the world is a major factor but there's got to 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:08.320 be more to it than that. Absolutely, and each next 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:11.200 generation of PBA players seems to be blessed with a 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:14.000 little bit more height than the last. But height will 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:16.839 probably always be a limiting factor in the country's ability 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:20.839 to develop NBA talent. But there's an interesting wrinkle to 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:24.640 that idea. Filipinos have always been among the best short 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:28.320 basketball players in the world in the PBA. When imports 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:31.360 with NBA experience are asked if they see any local 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:33.480 players who might have what it takes to compete at 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:37.280 the highest level, they often say yes, the best PBA 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:39.240 guards are up there with the best of them in 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:43.960 terms of raw talent, skill development, and shot making ability. Now, 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:46.560 I'm sure those imports know it'll be good for their 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:49.400 PBA careers if they engage in a little bit of 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:52.560 flattery when it comes to complimenting the local talent. But 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:55.279 we've heard it enough times from enough different players to 0:05:55.320 --> 0:05:59.320 believe that there's really some truth to the idea. Of course, 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:02.799 that doesn't mean that you can pluck legendary Filipino guard 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:05.559 out of the PBA, drop him into an NBA roster, 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:08.440 and he'll be ready to contribute what those imports are 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:12.400 saying is that if the most talented Philippine pros, regardless 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:15.040 of height, had an opportunity to start training for the 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:18.320 NBA at a young age, they possess the rats tools 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:21.640 to get there. So what you're saying is that whoever 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:24.320 figures out how to unlock that potential and send a 0:06:24.360 --> 0:06:27.800 Filipino to the NBA will basically become a national hero 0:06:28.040 --> 0:06:31.120 and have their face put on one hundred pacel bill. 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:35.040 But how come nobody's cracked that code yet? One factor 0:06:35.120 --> 0:06:37.520 that I think gets overlooked is how when it comes 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.640 to giving our local talent the time and space to 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:44.720 reach their full athletic potential, the Philippines passion for basketball 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:48.200 sometimes it goes too far and actually can become an 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:51.880 obstacle in a player's development. It's like an unintended consequence 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:55.560 of having such a strong local basketball culture, and it 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:59.479 can affect Filipino players in a few different ways. For example, 0:06:59.520 --> 0:07:03.039 how about those great homegrown talents who win multiple PBA 0:07:03.160 --> 0:07:07.320 Most Valuable Player awards and lead their teams to championship dynasties. 0:07:08.120 --> 0:07:10.080 Is it really worth it to them to leave the 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:13.400 Philippines and their prime of their hall of fame? PBA 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:18.920 careers to chase an NBA dream. Maybe the dream isn't unreachable, 0:07:18.960 --> 0:07:21.360 but it's still a long shot. And when you're already 0:07:21.440 --> 0:07:24.160 established as an MVP level talent in one of the 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:28.200 world's true hotbeds of basketball fandom, I guess it's hard 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:30.760 to walk away from the security and the wealth you've 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:34.400 already built in your home country. Take June Mar Fahardo, 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:38.000 the best Filipino player of the past decade. Beginning in 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:41.720 twenty fourteen, the six foot tenh center won six straight 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:45.920 six straight MVPs and made the Sun Miguel beer Man 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:50.040 nearly unbeatable in an all Filipino conference. When he retires, 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:52.880 he'll probably be remembered as the greatest player in the 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:57.040 history of Philippine basketball. June Mar's game was never tailor 0:07:57.080 --> 0:08:00.560 made for the modern NBA. He's an overpower, low post 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:03.680 scorer with soft hands, can vacuum up rebounds, and pretty 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:06.720 much guarantee two points anytime he catches the ball in 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:09.560 the paint. But even though he wasn't the exact type 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:12.720 of player NBA teams looked for early in his career, 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:16.520 NBA scouts saw how hard June maran the floor his 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:19.840 natural finishing instincts and the impact he had on games, 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:22.559 and a couple of franchises suggested he joined a summer 0:08:22.640 --> 0:08:25.800 league roster just to see how it might go. Maybe 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:28.640 he'd be a learning experience, maybe it opened the door 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:32.079 to something bigger. He said no thanks, and he was 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:36.120 probably thinking no way. He was already living the dream 0:08:36.160 --> 0:08:39.760 as a multiple time MVP in the league he grew 0:08:39.920 --> 0:08:43.880 up dreaming of playing in. If it ain't broke, don't 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:46.560 fix it. Yeah. I mean, it's hard to argue with that, 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:49.320 who leaves in Hall of Fame career for what would 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:52.839 be a still long shot chance at cracking an NBA roster. 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:56.160 But even the players who've tried and not quite made 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:59.240 it to the NBA have accomplished something. I know. There've 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:01.600 been a number of players from the Philippines who at 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:04.600 least dipped a toe in those waters, exploring chances to 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:07.480 play high school or college ball in the States and 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:10.280 then maybe reach the NBA that way. And it seems 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:13.240 like each time a new player takes the leap, he 0:09:13.280 --> 0:09:16.720 gets a little bit closer than his predecessors did. When 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:19.679 someone finally breaks through, it'll be because of the other 0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:24.040 Filipino NBA hopefuls who blaze the trail before him. In 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:27.240 two thousand and seven in athletics, six foot nine four 0:09:27.480 --> 0:09:31.880 named Jopeth Aguilar transferred from the Philippine College hoops powerhouse 0:09:32.080 --> 0:09:36.520 Attaneo de Manila University to NCA Division one College Hoops 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:39.920 at Western Kentucky, where he was teammates with future NBA 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:44.160 guard Courtney Lee, But injuries limited jobhets playing time there, 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:47.000 and eventually he found his way back to a sterling 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:50.960 career in the PBA. Kobe Paras, a six foot six 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:54.880 guard who showed early flashes of brilliant talent and explosive 0:09:54.920 --> 0:09:58.120 hops in Manila high school tournaments, moved to Los Angeles 0:09:58.120 --> 0:10:01.559 in twenty thirteen to finish his high school career in California. 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:04.000 He was on the right track, putting up big numbers 0:10:04.000 --> 0:10:08.000 against strong competition in earning D one scholarship offers, first 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:11.680 from UCLA and then at Crayton. But Kobe, the son 0:10:11.720 --> 0:10:16.800 of former PBA MVP turn comedic actor Benji Paras, struggled 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:19.360 to find a role at the college level and returned 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:22.160 home to finish his amateur career at the University of 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:25.760 the Philippines. He since turned pro and now plays as 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:29.240 an import in the Japanese B League. And then in 0:10:29.280 --> 0:10:33.400 twenty fifteen, Bobby Ray Parks Junior, the son of legendary 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:36.760 PBA import Bobby Parks, tried to make the jump to 0:10:36.800 --> 0:10:39.560 the NBA level after playing college ball in the Philippines. 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:42.719 He went undrafted in the twenty fifteen NBA draft, but 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:46.000 showed enough promise in pre draft workouts that the Dallas 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:49.240 Mavericks added him to their Summer League roster and then 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:51.920 signed him to play a season in the G League 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:55.720 with the Texas Legends. Both of those accomplishments made history 0:10:56.040 --> 0:10:58.840 the first born and raised Filipino to play in Summer 0:10:58.920 --> 0:11:02.199 League and to make a G League roster, and that 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:05.000 brings us to the seven foot two twenty year old 0:11:05.080 --> 0:11:09.320 center Kai Soto. I started playing basketball because of mostly 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:12.560 of my dad, because he played professionally in the Philippines. 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:15.640 I'm from a city of Laskina City. It's a city 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:18.439 in the Philippines, in Manila. The culture of basketball and 0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:22.560 Philippines is just amazing. It's just it's like a religion. Now, 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:25.560 in his second year as a professional with the Adelaide 0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:29.839 thirty six ers of the Australian abl Kay went undrafted 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:32.480 in last year's NBA draft, but he's still working to 0:11:32.559 --> 0:11:35.679 catch an MBA team's eye, and he still represents the 0:11:35.679 --> 0:11:51.640 philippines best chance to achieve the NBA dream. Now, I 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:54.040 promise I'm not bringing this up to torture you, but 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:57.400 can you give us a quick scouting profile? One more 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:00.000 time of the Cassidy hoverth who Once upon a time, 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:04.800 I'm dominated middle school basketball competition up and down the 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:08.760 North side of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. What are 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:13.400 you doing? I mean, I'll play along because I trust you, Nico, 0:12:13.520 --> 0:12:17.840 but this better be going somewhere. Okay. From sixth to 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:23.640 eighth grade, I ran local basketball leagues, ran them, Okay. 0:12:23.720 --> 0:12:26.320 I grew early, so I was already close to my 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:28.720 adult height, bigger than most of the girls I played 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:32.520 against back then. I was athletic enough, I was coordinated enough, 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:36.600 I was competitive enough, and I just out hustled people 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:40.000 and scraped my way to back to back to back 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:44.920 MVPs three three of them things. And I wasn't the 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:47.960 most skilled. But you know, like no one at middle 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:53.160 school is so my tenacity one out three times. Basically, 0:12:53.440 --> 0:12:56.640 you know, I was your classic undersize power forward who 0:12:56.640 --> 0:13:00.480 peaked too early. Should have practiced more ball handling, mainly 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:03.160 my left and shooting skills instead of you know, my 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:05.959 baby shack drop step game in the low post, grab 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:09.040 and rebounds like I'm Dennis Rodman, which you know, became 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:10.720 kind of useless as soon as I got to high 0:13:10.720 --> 0:13:13.760 school and I stopped growing and couldn't overpower anyone else 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:16.520 on the court anymore. And I mean, can I stop now? 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:19.640 Is that enough? I have enough regret that I live 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:22.640 with day in and day out. Could that be a 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.280 whole episode? Can we just go off on a whole 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:28.920 episode just deep diving that talking to all the young 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:32.800 girls that you dominate? It then perfect story though, it's 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:36.480 a perfect description. Work on your left, boys and girls. Yeah, 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:40.480 I mean yeah, I think your experience as you moved 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:43.840 from middle school to high school it really helped illustrate 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:47.720 one of the challenges regarding skill development in Philippine basketball, 0:13:48.080 --> 0:13:50.160 at least in terms of training a player for a 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:53.960 potential NBA future. In middle school, you were successful with 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:57.360 a skill set that suddenly became less productive when you 0:13:57.400 --> 0:13:59.280 made the leap up to the high school level and 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:03.480 found yourself competing against girls just as big or bigger 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:07.000 than you. Once he lost that physical advantage, your game 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:11.200 wasn't three time MVP worthy anymore. Well. The lack of 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:15.520 overall height among Filipino players has historically left our prospects 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:17.800 in a similar bind when it came to making the 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:21.880 leap to higher levels of play, whether it's international competitions 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:24.960 like the Olympics or the Feeble World Cup, or even 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:27.240 the distant dream of the NBA. I mean, I was 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:29.560 over here crying, so I'm glad you brought it back 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:31.920 because I see where you're going. So if you're an 0:14:31.960 --> 0:14:35.120 athletic six foot four teenager in Manila, you're probably getting 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:38.680 more experience in a big man role than a perimeter player, 0:14:38.960 --> 0:14:42.000 even though that height would still be small for an 0:14:42.080 --> 0:14:45.880 MBA wing exactly. And even if that six four pinoy 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:50.160 had the dexterity and lateral quickness to develop perimeter skills 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:52.080 that a player of his height would need to succeed 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:54.920 in the NBA or in Europe, he might not get 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.600 the opportunity to develop that side of his game enough 0:14:57.680 --> 0:15:00.480 to make the leap to higher levels of play. The 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:03.120 talent could be there, but he might never get the 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:05.560 chance to nurture it. And what's he going to tell 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:07.880 his high school coach who just sees that he's got 0:15:07.920 --> 0:15:10.200 the biggest kid on the floor and his team and 0:15:10.320 --> 0:15:13.160 he naturally wants that player in the paint. I mean, 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:16.760 imagine stepping to some toughest nails high school coach and 0:15:16.840 --> 0:15:20.200 being like, Sir, I can't play center because I need 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:23.920 to develop an outside game for the NBA. Yeah, you'd 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:28.120 better be ready to run laps all around Lunetta, Manila's 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:32.160 answer to New York Central Park until you collapse if 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:35.400 you run that plan by the coach. That's really at 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:39.000 the heart of this cruel catch twenty two of basketball development. 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:42.280 The Filipino hooper is still having completely managed to break 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:45.440 free from The players with the most NBA ready skill 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:49.400 sets tend to be guards who are barely scraping six feet, 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:53.360 while the players with more conventional NBA body types don't 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:56.040 develop the outside game that they'd need to stand a 0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:58.840 chance against the best players in the world. I mean, 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:01.680 you'd know better than may. But it does seem like 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:05.040 the country's basketball coaches and trainers are working hard to 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:09.320 reverse that trend and develop more versatile, taller players. Take 0:16:09.400 --> 0:16:13.360 Kai Soto literally the tallest prospect the Philippines has ever 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:16.320 produced at seven foot two, and he's been working on 0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:19.080 his touch on three pointers and running offense through his 0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:21.840 high post passing for pretty much as long as he's 0:16:21.840 --> 0:16:25.160 been playing basketball, and it shows. If anything, I get 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:27.160 the sense that the NBA teams would like to see 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:29.680 him develop a little more physicality to go with all 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:34.560 that finesse he flashes one hundred percent. It's definitely getting better, 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:38.120 and access to an infinite library of training techniques and 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:43.560 philosophies throughout YouTube University is helping players expand their games 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.960 in ways previous generations never had the chance to, and 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:50.320 the difference is already obvious in young national team players 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:55.480 like my guy six foot seven UAAP champion up Fighting 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:58.920 Maroon Carl Damayo, a twenty one year old forward whose 0:16:58.960 --> 0:17:01.720 three point range ality to create off the dribble allow 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:04.919 him to switch comfortably between roles as a big and 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:07.840 as a wing, depending on the role his team needs 0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:10.800 for him to play in different lineups. If Carl becomes 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:13.840 a model for future Filipino players with similar height and 0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:17.520 athletic profiles, then it starts to become much easier to 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:21.680 imagine the country producing talents worthy of the NBA's interest, 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:24.400 and to get a deeper understanding of what it will 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:26.960 take to develop not just the first born and raised 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:31.240 Filipino NBA player, but a consistent pipeline of MBA worthy talent. 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:34.560 We wanted to speak with a Philippine basketball legend who 0:17:34.600 --> 0:17:38.479 has an insider's knowledge of both the PBA and MBA worlds. 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:43.040 Jimmy Allipague, a Filipino American guard from Southern California, is 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:45.879 currently an assistant coach with the Stockton Kings, the g 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:49.359 League affiliate of the NBA Sacramento Kings. As a player, 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:52.440 the five nine point guard had anything but MBA height, 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:55.919 but in moments that are unforgettable to Filipino fans, he 0:17:56.000 --> 0:17:59.520 gave MBA guards like Pablo Prigioni and JJ Borea all 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:02.359 they could handle when Jimmy and the Philippine national team 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:05.879 matched up against Argentina and Puerto Rico in the twenty 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:09.520 fourteen Feeble World Cup. And that's really just scratching the 0:18:09.520 --> 0:18:12.800 surface of a career full of international heroics to go 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:17.560 along with six PBA Championships, two PBA Finals, MVP Awards, 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:21.800 and the twenty eleven PBA regular season MVP. Between his 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:25.119 fourteen season pro career playing in the Philippines and his 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:28.480 current role helping the Stockton Kings G League players improve 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:30.840 their games in hopes of earning full time roles in 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:34.399 the NBA. There's probably nobody on the planet with a 0:18:34.480 --> 0:18:38.280 better understanding of these strengths and weaknesses of Filipino players 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:41.119 and exactly what the country needs to do to develop 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:43.639 more NBA talent. You know, I think I think it 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.879 would be groundbreaking. You know, again for a country that 0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:48.800 has such a deep love and passion for the game. 0:18:49.800 --> 0:18:51.800 I think it would just serve as a huge inspiration 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:53.919 for the next generation to say, hey, this kid was 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:56.800 born and raised here in the country, and now he's 0:18:56.800 --> 0:18:59.160 playing against the best in the world. You know, obviously, 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:02.600 you know, Kay, you know, is working his way towards 0:19:02.640 --> 0:19:05.320 blazon that trail. M And I think up to this point, 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:07.240 he's he's done a great job. You know, he's only 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:10.040 twenty years old. Um, I think I think he's still 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:12.520 you know, he still has things to work on his game, 0:19:12.560 --> 0:19:14.600 but you know, he just went through the draft process. 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:16.880 You know, he already played professionally in a very competitive 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:19.280 league in Australia. So I think he's on his way, 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:22.120 you know, and hopefully he stays healthy and just continues 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:24.960 to grow with his game and continues to just improve 0:19:25.560 --> 0:19:27.800 because at this level, I mean, it's it's the best 0:19:27.800 --> 0:19:30.159 in the world for a reason. But it's great to 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:33.959 see him really carry the hopes of an entire country 0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:37.120 on his young shoulders. But getting a chance to talk 0:19:37.160 --> 0:19:39.359 to him a few weeks ago in Sacramental when he 0:19:39.400 --> 0:19:41.520 came to work out for the team, um, it was 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:44.720 really good. And again I think he does have time 0:19:44.720 --> 0:19:46.960 on his side, and it's just a matter of him 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:49.240 continuing to work on his game and continue to improve, 0:19:49.280 --> 0:19:52.200 and hopefully he'll get that opportunity. So what do you think? 0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:55.560 How long will it be before the Philippines makes history 0:19:55.560 --> 0:19:59.080 with its first born and raised NBA player? Oh? Man, 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:01.760 I don't know. I also don't want to say something 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:05.200 presumptuous that it jinxes us and then I wind up 0:20:05.280 --> 0:20:07.920 never seeing that moment come in my lifetime. I mean, 0:20:07.960 --> 0:20:10.600 all right, I asked the question, but like, relax, just 0:20:10.680 --> 0:20:13.120 looking for an over under here. No need to get 0:20:13.160 --> 0:20:20.000 like existential on us. But we're beIN noise. Basketball is existential. Fine, okay, okay. 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:24.880 Let me think ever since Japetaguilar a College in Manila 0:20:24.880 --> 0:20:27.800 to make a run at US Division one ball, there's 0:20:27.800 --> 0:20:31.679 been a steady trickle, trickle of Filipino talent willing to 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:34.679 chase the NBA dream. And over that time that trickle 0:20:34.720 --> 0:20:37.159 has become more like a stream. And each new player 0:20:37.160 --> 0:20:41.199 in that lineage, from Kobe Paras to Bobby ray Park's 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:45.000 junior to Kai, they all seem to get a little 0:20:45.040 --> 0:20:48.880 bit closer to the NBA. That's promising, But I don't 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:51.080 want to make the mistake of assuming it'll always go 0:20:51.200 --> 0:20:54.280 that way. That just because Kai got so close to 0:20:54.320 --> 0:20:56.440 the next hopeful who comes along as a short bed 0:20:56.480 --> 0:20:58.840 to make it all the way, and it won't be 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:02.199 anything to be a shamed of if more players try 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:05.280 and ultimately fall short. I mean, it is the NBA 0:21:05.359 --> 0:21:07.680 and there's only room for four hundred and fifty of 0:21:07.760 --> 0:21:11.320 the most gifted basketball players alive. But the way things 0:21:11.359 --> 0:21:14.720 are going and how fast Filipino players seem to be 0:21:14.760 --> 0:21:16.840 gaining the sort of skills they'll need to get the 0:21:16.880 --> 0:21:20.919 league's attention, someday, Hey, here it is, I think we 0:21:20.960 --> 0:21:24.760 could see the first NBA player born and raised the 0:21:24.800 --> 0:21:31.240 Philippines within I don't know, ten years time, twenty thirty three, 0:21:31.400 --> 0:21:34.840 mark your calendar. Oh okay, marked, I think we need 0:21:34.880 --> 0:21:38.440 to talk about one more big subject before we wrap 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:42.159 a bow around this podcast. What will it mean to 0:21:42.320 --> 0:21:45.480 each of us personally, to our families, to everyone living 0:21:45.520 --> 0:21:48.280 in the Philippines, and to the Filipinos based in countries 0:21:48.280 --> 0:21:51.320 all over the world when that first born and raise 0:21:51.480 --> 0:21:54.879 Pinoy finally makes it to the league. And to have 0:21:54.960 --> 0:21:57.879 that conversation, I asked a friend to join us. He 0:21:57.920 --> 0:22:00.399 has a way of putting things in perspective, which is 0:22:00.680 --> 0:22:03.640 my nice way of saying. He's a world class overthinker. 0:22:03.720 --> 0:22:06.359 And you know he went to Harvard, so you know 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:10.679 he's got class. A fellow member of the ESPN Filipino 0:22:10.760 --> 0:22:14.720 Cabayan Club and a proud chronicler of every major sporting 0:22:14.760 --> 0:22:22.240 achievement by Pinoy athletes ESPN and Meadowlarks. Pablo Esturing, what 0:22:22.280 --> 0:22:26.320 would it mean to Filipino fans to see the first 0:22:26.359 --> 0:22:30.000 born and raise Filipino player in the NBA? You know, 0:22:30.080 --> 0:22:32.000 have you ever thought about that and what do you 0:22:32.040 --> 0:22:36.600 think that would mean? Yeah, I've literally dreamed it. It is. 0:22:36.720 --> 0:22:40.040 It's a messianic concept. And I say that with all 0:22:40.080 --> 0:22:45.960 of the knowledge of Catholicism, of religiosity informing our ancestry, 0:22:46.320 --> 0:22:49.959 Like I think people literally pray for this, and of 0:22:49.960 --> 0:22:52.400 course they do. I mean, look at the I mean 0:22:52.480 --> 0:22:55.320 the DNA, and I'll move to the science as well 0:22:55.359 --> 0:22:58.240 as the spirit of this, like the DNA of the 0:22:58.320 --> 0:23:04.800 Filipino right. It is defiant. It is so defiant in 0:23:04.840 --> 0:23:08.080 the face of a basic fact that says this sport 0:23:08.200 --> 0:23:15.600 is not for you. The universe. It seems at some 0:23:15.680 --> 0:23:18.320