Revealed - How Kobe Bryant & Co. ended up playing in the Philippines? NBA Update
As most NBA fans know, Kobe Bryant and a host of other NBA super stars played two exhibition games in the Philippines recently. Now the organizers of the games have revealed how it all came about.
Los Angeles Lakers legendary shooting guard Kobe Bryant coached and played on the team of NBA athletes that went to the pacific nation for the two games. Other prominent players on the team included Derrick Rose of the Chicago
Bulls, the youngest ever player to win the MVP award last season. Also in the mix was Kevin Durant, two-time reigning NBA scoring champion.
National Basketball Players Association President Derek Fisher was one of the senior most members, with New Orleans Hornets star Chris Paul making for another big name. Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin, who won the Rookie
of the Year award as well as the Slam Dunk competition last season, was also supposed to be part of the show, but had to pull out due to other commitments.
So who made all these NBA stars come together and perform in front of the rapturous Philippines crowd?
Manuel V. Pangilinan, often called MVP, is a Filipino tycoon who was the main funder behind the extravaganza. And yes off course, the NBA lockout also played a major role, as the players started looking for events like these since
work stopped in the United States.
Chot Reyes, who coached one of the teams faced by the NBA stars said,
“When the lockout was announced, we said, ‘this is it — this is the sign.’”
MVP wanted some big names on board for the event and Kobe Bryant is as big as they get. Contact was first made with Bryant whilst he was touring China, promoting one of the many brands that he endorses. To the pleasant surprise
of the organizers, Bryant immediately showed an interest in the idea.
However money was a big issue. Bryant and other super stars wouldn’t come cheap. Some have claimed that the leading names got paid as much as $400,000 for two nights work. Plus there were other expenses. The biggest was bringing
the NBA players and their people to the country and then making arrangements for their stay, not to mention the arena.
In the end, Reyes says the organizers just went with their gut,
“We really had to think long and hard about that,” he said, “but in our organization, when we decide to do something we will think long and hard for maybe one hour or two hours and then say, ‘Come on, let’s get it done.’”
The event itself was hugely successful and the NBA players showed a willingness to come back to the fans that had shown them great affection during their short stay.
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