Years before Kai Sotto became the talk of the town for his lofty goal of being the first full-blooded Filipino player in the NBA, former UP Fighting Maroons star Kobe Paras was already trying his luck to do the same thing.

However, just like Ray Parks, Japeth Aguilar, and Kiefer Ravena before him, the second-generation Paras fell just short of his goals, and was for some reason subjected to undeserved criticism and sarcasm from a handful of Pinoy hoop fans.

Fast forward to the present, the 23-year-old Paras is ready for one more go at his pro baller dreams, and has left the uncertainty of the UAAP in favor of training with Sotto’s handlers East West Private (EWP), which is also managing other young Filipino prospects.

More than anyone, the 18-year-old Sotto understands the hardships his new stablemate went through in the past, and is rightfully excited to have him on board as they push to make their dreams finally become reality.

“Kilala ko si Kobe, and similar yung dreams namin. Similar yung mga goals namin sa buhay,” Sotto said in a press conference presented by Smart.

“Sobrang excited ako to work alongside Kobe, and to help each other na mag-succeed sa sari-sarili naming mga path.”

(I know Kobe, and we have similar dreams. We have similar goals in life. I’m really excited to work alongside Kobe, and to help each other succeed in our respective paths.)

Prior to joining EWP, Paras endured a difficult stint in the US NCAA, where he tried to play for 3 different colleges, but had different sets of difficulties for each one.

He first tried to join the UCLA Bruins, but later withdrew due to alleged academic deficiencies, which were later refuted by his high school Middlebrooks Academy.

Paras then finally had his US NCAA debut with the Creighton Bluejays, but had minimal playing time, and left after 15 games with averages of 1.3 points in 4.7 minutes.

He then declared to go pro after prematurely ending his redshirt year with Cal State Northridge, but ultimately returned back home to play for UP, his legendary father Benjie’s alma mater.

Like Paras, Sotto also faced controversy in his professional basketball journey after mutually parting ways with the NBA G League Ignite pathway program without playing a single game for them.

He has since signed with the Australian NBL and the Adelaide 36ers as he builds off reportedly legitimate interest in the NBA draft.

With Paras now teaming up with Sotto in EWP, both players can certainly learn a lot from each other both in and out of the hardwood.

The future is bright for both young stars, but it can always go brighter with a little bit of good, old fashioned teamwork. – Rappler.com