Kobe Paras on the PH: ‘I just wanna make everyone here proud’

MANILA, Philippines – Kobe Paras has been a household name in the Philippines over the past year and a half, a stretch in which the 6-foot-6, high-flying star has won two slam dunk contests in FIBA U-18 3-on-3 tourneys, took his talents to Los Angeles to play for Cathedral High School, and received a scholarship to play for the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA once he becomes college-eligible.

But despite the international success Paras has seen, and will likely continue to see, the second-generation basketball talent remains proud of his roots in the Philippines – a country which he hopes to represent proudly wherever his future takes him. 

“I’m just truly blessed to be given this type of opportunity because if someone is in my position, they would use the most out of it and just make the Philippines proud,” Paras, 17, told members of the media during a press conference at the Viva office on Thursday, June 11.

“It’s not just me or my family that I’m bringing there; it’s the whole country, so I just wanna make everyone here proud and just make the most out of it talaga.”

Other than the recent FIBA U-18 3-on-3 tournaments, Paras also played for the Philippines in the 2014 FIBA U-17 World Championship in Dubai. He says he hopes to wear the jersey of the national team for years to come, even if he doesn’t play professional basketball in the Philippines.

“Every player would because representing your country is not like playing for your team in college or your club team. You’re representing so [many] people,” said Paras. “You’re representing a country, so representing the Philippines and when you hear your song play in a game it really pumps you up because not everyone will be given [that] chance.”

“There are so [many] players here – like 500 players, a thousand players trying out for just one national team, so just to be able to be a part of it is just a blessing.”

A few weeks ago, NBA Fil-Am player Jordan Clarkson of the Los Angeles Lakers visited Manila for the first time and talked about how important his Filipino roots are to him. Paras says that one major quality Filipinos have is that they always remember their beginnings – something he remembers to do every day.

“What you see in the NBA is not everyone really focuses on where they’re from… just seeing Jordan say that and really appreciate that he has that Filipino in him is amazing because like what I said, not all people appreciate where they came from,” said Paras.

“So at least us Filipinos, we appreciate it each and every day, and we just make it our motivation to always do better.” 

(READ: Kobe Paras retains FIBA U-18 dunk title with perfect score slam)

Filipinos also strongly support their fellow countrymen – something that’s become evident during Paras’ high school games in the United States. 

According to his father Benjie Paras, “When Kobe plays abroad, like when Cathedral will visit a school, they’re supposed to be the underdog, but it’s the other way around because the Filipinos and the Fil-Ams, they all go there to watch Kobe, so the crowd starts favoring their team instead of the home [team].” 

“It lifts me up talaga because not every team or person has people that support them in a way that they do to me,” Kobe said, “so it really pumps me up and makes me really excited to play for them and to just make them proud.”

Paras says he’s not spending too much time focusing on what’s in store for him at UCLA as he aims to complete his final year of high school and work even more on developing his game.

But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t contain his excitement once he received a scholarship offer from Alford and the Bruins, which has seen many former and current NBA players play for the university.

“When I first got the offer, that’s when I was shocked because the first thing I said was, ‘Damn, idol Russell Westbrook was here, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] was here, Kevin Love,’ so just seeing the list – and it goes on – the list is crazy, so just seeing how many successful pro players and collegiate players that played there, it’s just a blessing and it really feels way different,” said Paras.

What lies for him at UCLA is tough to predict now, but what he knows is that he has a strong support system in his family and thousands of fans hoping for his success. 

(READ: The tight bond of the Paras family)

Said Paras: “It’s crazy. I just feel lucky enough to have people who support me because not everyone has a support base like that, so I just appreciate it… I just wanna say thank you to everyone who supports me and I appreciate it.”

– Rappler.com