The Philippine Basketball Association will always be the first-ever pay-for-play league in the continent!
Being first doesn't mean you will always be at the top. It doesn't mean you will always be the best. And at this point, PBA may not even be at the top 3 leagues in Asia, in terms of quality.
This reality is becoming more public, especially with the announcement of Thirdy Ravena that the first professional league that he will play for will be the Japan B League, not the PBA.
When asked why he decided to go to Japan, Thirdy answered,
I realized that the only reason why I’m here is because I love challenges and love competitions, and love always being outside of my comfort zoneHe was not boxed in the usual thinking of good Filipino players that the dream is the PBA and success means getting a lot of achievements in the PBA.
That thinking was expressed by Calvin Abueva when he confirmed that he received from Japan B League,
May mga alok sa kin dati, marami. Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, iba-iba. Pero hindi ko nga yun pinansin kasi that time gusto ko maglaro sa PBA. Yun yung dream ko kahit nung simula pa lang... Ang sa kin lang, mas gusto ko sa PBA. Ito naman lagi ang first option ko ever since.That line of thinking from our players has led Philippine basketball to where we are now. A professional league controlled by the richest. No homegrown Filipino drafted in the NBA. Inconsistent Asian title contender.
Filipino basketball players are better than that. Unfortunately, only a few dreamed in the past of being better than a PBA star.
Fortunately, the mentality of our up-and-coming basketball stars is different. They finally recognize that they are looking at an ocean, not only a sea. That the time has come for Filipino basketball players to embark beyond our sea to exhibit their basketball prowess.
I really hope that this will lead our young basketball players to outgrow the PBA because I strongly believe, Filipinos are not only for the PBA. They are better than that.
Comments
Post a Comment