NBA In The Philippines

[mjohnson]

Today. Top NBA Team Favorites in the Philippines are:
1. Lakers/Kobe
2. Cavaliers/Lebron
3. Phoenix Suns(Nash)/Orlando(Howard)/Houston(Yao)/Celtics(KG)

[RockinRyA]

oh i forgot, the spurs have lots of very loyal fans.

yeah i remember few nba players being imports.. cedric ceballos, billy ray bates, norman black,tony harris, richie frahm, and others 

my dad was a diehard laker fan. and i didnt get along with him. so naturally, i picked the very team he despises the most- the celtics. that was in 1998 and wow and behold theres this awesome rookie by the name of paul pierce 

[greenhead85]

It was a big treat for Philippines based NBA fans to get a chance to watch live games in the early mornings back then in the 80s. We were so grateful to the US servicemen for sharing their signal to the locals thru the FEN-P (Far East Network - Philippines). Our signal was provided thru the Wallace Air Station based in Poro Point La Union.

The most popular NBA players then were Dr. J, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. Air Jordan came into the picture and became only significant amongst us "originals" when his Bulls had success in the early 90s. Of course we remembered him and his Bulls as just the whipping boys of the NBA Playoffs and were a second (3rd?) rate team - next only after Boston, Detroit (Isiah and the Bad Boys) and New York (bannered by Patrick Ewing). In the West, Magic and LAL dominated the 80s but were somehow challenged and successfully knocked out by Hakeem and Ralph Sampson and the Rockets in 1984 and 1986.

The 1983 76ers (led by Dr J, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, Bobby Jones and Mo Cheeks), though I'm a diehard Celtics fan, were the handsdown favorite among the teams that won a title in the 80s. Well of course they were the consensus "winners" from my school.

[ACF]

Bandwagoners are everywhere. In Denmark, everyone is a Lakers or a Cavs fan. We Celtics fans are few but proud.

It is nice to hear a bit about fan culture in the Phillipines, though.

[Bahku]

I can tell you from personal experience, (especially since posting this thread), that the Celtics are HUGE in the Philippines, and fans there are not just Bandwagoners, but KNOWLEDGABLE and informed. Also: Paul Pierce and "Pac Man" are not only friends, but Paul considers Manny his "Main Man".

[AZ_Celtic_Fan]

Hello. This is my 1st Celtic Forum post. I grew up in the Philippines and religiously waited for the NBA game of the week that was taped from games played during the season. The Knicks were always shown, as were the Celtics, and the Lakers. It wasn't until the country started getting cable TV did the Filipino's saw games that were delayed telecast games from that very same day.

Back in the '70's, an entourage of NBA players came and were distributed to each local teams to bolster their line-ups. Former Celtic players who have played in the Philippines are Kevin Gamble, Michael Young, Glenn McDonald, Cyrus Mann, Tony "Hurricane" Harris, and David Thirdkill, to name a few. Many former NBA players have played there, as well, such as Otto Moore, Aaron James, Larry McNeil, Scott Burrell, Wes Matthews, Billy Ray Bates, Chris Morris, Kevin Porter, Cedric Ceballos, James Hardy, Dennis Hopson, and ... well there have been plenty.

Stand-out American Players not mentioned previously were Carl Bird, Carlos Briggs, Michael Hackett, Bruce "Sky" King, Andrew Fields, Ansley Truitt, Al Green (not the singer, LoL), Bobby Parks, Glenn Hagan, Lew Massey and others.

I am so glad that this topic was brought up. It brings back good memories. Thanks!

[Bahku]

Hello. This is my 1st Celtic Forum post. I grew up in the Philippines and religiously waited for the NBA game of the week that was taped from games played during the season. The Knicks were always shown, as were the Celtics, and the Lakers. It wasn't until the country started getting cable TV did the Filipino's saw games that were delayed telecast games from that very same day.

Back in the '70's, an entourage of NBA players came and were distributed to each local teams to bolster their line-ups. Former Celtic players who have played in the Philippines are Kevin Gamble, Michael Young, Glenn McDonald, Cyrus Mann, Tony "Hurricane" Harris, and David Thirdkill, to name a few. Many former NBA players have played there, as well, such as Otto Moore, Aaron James, Larry McNeil, Scott Burrell, Wes Matthews, Billy Ray Bates, Chris Morris, Kevin Porter, Cedric Ceballos, James Hardy, Dennis Hopson, and ... well there have been plenty.

Stand-out American Players not mentioned previously were Carl Bird, Carlos Briggs, Michael Hackett, Bruce "Sky" King, Andrew Fields, Ansley Truitt, Al Green (not the singer, LoL), Bobby Parks, Glenn Hagan, Lew Massey and others.

I am so glad that this topic was brought up. It brings back good memories. Thanks!

Really glad to have you onboard here, and I hope you'll be around regularly! I'm engaged to a pinay so this topic is somewhat dear to my heart ... I have come to know and be friends with many filipinas over the last year and it has enriched my life beyond explanation. Hope everyone you know made it through the typhoon ok, and I'll be honored to welcome you with your first TP. God bless!

[AZ_Celtic_Fan]

Quinito Henson was the number one source of NBA materials for Filipinos before the age of cable TV in the Philippines. He would visit multiple NBA camps during the off-season and gave reports on various team weaknesses and strengths. He would also give PBA fans a scouting report on the American players playing in the Philippine league.

I think the reason why the general population of the Philippines are divided on NBA teams is because they love the players, not the teams, per se. My favorite players back then were David Thompson, Dr. J, Maurice Lucas, Micheal Ray Richardson, and Bernard King. None of whom played for the Celtics. Also, back then, the NBA games that were featured the most were from the Madison Square Garden cable TV.

This is the kind of league where a Lester Hudson type could shine. He could probably average 30 ppg in the PBA.