(L) from Kobe Bryant’s Facebook Page; (R) from Smart Gilas - Kobe Bryant expresses his high hopes for Philippine basketball
- He says he’s happy to give inspiration and knowledge to ballers of the future
- The basketball star has visited Philippines for seven times
The greatest basketball player to wear a Los Angeles Laker jersey has graced the Philippines with his impeccable presence and he’s got such inspiring words for the country’s national basketball team.
When asked if he has any advice advice for Gilas Pilipinas, Kobe said: “They [Gilas Pilipinas] should play with a lot of heart and practice really hard.”
“My message is work as a group to identify your weaknesses and don’t give up. There’s a better chance of winning with that,” he added, as quoted in a Manila Times story.
Monickered as the “Black Mamba”, Kobe also said that basketball games have evolved. He said there are a lot of aspects of the sport that changed that Filipino players can use to their advantage.
A lot of three pointers are now thrown around which could be key to their success on how deep they could go on the upcoming Olympic qualifiers, he detailed.
The Philippines, Italy and Serbia were granted the privilege to host Olympic qualifiers.
Gilas is in the same bracket as Canada, France, New Zealand, Turkey and Senegal. The champion country will bag a Rio Olympics berth. The Philippine men’s basketball team last competed in the Olympics in 1972.
Kobe said he was happy to always visit the Philippines because of our warmth and he truly feels that the basketball spirit is well and alive in our region.
He is also ecstatic to share his wealth of experience to the future ballers of our nation, he is happy that children looks up to him for guidance and inspiration that he himself is happy to give upon.
Kobe Bryant is in the country for the “Mamba Mentality” tour as a celebration of Kobe Bryant and Nike’s partnership for the past thirteen years.
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