The Ultimate Cubao All-Star Weekend Experience

This may probably be the biggest sporting event that I’ve been a part of. This event is so huge, it even surpassed the moment when I scored my one and only sanctioned field goal during our High School Intramurals Basketball game wherein my team, the Fourth Year Section-A defeated our junior counterparts, the Third Year Section-A.

No, not even close.

Last weekend, I witnessed what I thought was an impossibility, a ridiculousness, something which I thought I’ll only see on television, video games and in my forty winks. The gigantic names in the world of Basketball came together here in the Philippines specifically in Cubao inside the newly christened Smart Araneta Coliseum to outline what was dubbed as the Smart Ultimate All-Star Weekend. And when I say it’s gigantic, it’s truly gigantic. We’re talking about two-time NBA Finals MVP, the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant, reigning MVP, Derrick Rose, two-time defending scoring champion Kevin Durant and former Rookie of the Year, Chris Paul. And not only that, completing the all-star cast are Bryant’s teammate Derek Fisher, former Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans, Oklahoma City star, James Harden, slam dunking JaVale McGee and top rookie, Derrick Williams. Whew.

I’m a rock-solid hoop junkie and there’s just no idiotic and bullshit reason to miss this event and if you would remember, I missed the Black Mamba’s Take Every Advantage Tour last July 13 and this is a humongous opportunity for me to compensate that loss. Humongous by the way, is an understatement. Not only would I see Kobe in this event, I will also have the opportunity to see his superfriends playing 48 minutes of competitive hoops.

As we all know, the Kobe-led “Smart All-Stars” were scheduled to play two games here in Manila. First, on July 23 against the PBA All-Stars and the day after, against the Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team. From the two, I chose to buy tickets for the PBA vs. NBA game. Holy Spanish Sardines! PBA vs. NBA, that was just a mere joke before and I thought I would only see that on a patched NBA Live game with cyber PBA players in it but this time it’s right at our fingertips. I’ll be able to witness James Yap vs. Kobe Bryant.

The James Yap of the NBA guarded by the Kobe Bryant of the PBA

Sweet.

I bought two Upper Box B tickets since I ran out of better ones but that’s alright. I will watch from the rooftop if I really have to and if that’s the only option. The tickets are for me and my Papa and it marks the first time that we will witness a live basketball game together since we watched a match in the Cuneta Astrodome for a PBA game pitting the Swift Mighty Meaty Hotdogs and the Pepsi Mega Hotshots in 1994. He’s a big basketball enthusiast as well, a solid Toyota and Ginebra fan who also likes the Boston Celtics of the 80’s and the modern day Los Angeles Lakers. We were up on our feet, cheering and applauding each and every move of the international superstars from the compelling dunks of Kobe and D-Rose, the long bombs of Kevin Durant, the dribbling skills of CP3 and D-Fish, everything that the American Superstars were doing even the planking of Javale McGee. The experience was indeed unreal, it’s dreamlike. It’s so amazing that I would vote for Manny Pangilinan, the person who made this hallucination possible, if ever he decided to run for the presidency of the Republic of the Philippines. I’m serious.

Anyhow, I’m already running out of words to say and I’m already having the grammar of a Bobo guy so I’ll just show you some of the photos from the event taken from my mobile phone and some of the amazing pictures grabbed from the Internets plus a video of me being an inutil bobo fanboy.