Scalia’s gift

Scalia Nethanial is a rare breed of basketball entertainment. The Filipino-Malaysian has taken freestyle in a new and refreshing direction. As a kid dazzled by the likes of the And1 Mix Tape, Flip Ballaz and Hype Streetball almost 20 years ago, he’s taken the best of what was and made it new, and his. The young breakdancer discovered his gift, the ability to make people smile using a hybrid of hoops and hip hop.

“I was really intrigued by it,” he recalls. “This didn’t look like the NBA. As a kid, I got bored. Everything was a whistle. In Malaysia, we don’t have courts everywhere like in the Philippines. One day, I was just dribbling, spinning the ball randomly, and I saw people smiling at me. That was it.”

He realized that, as a player, he could get injured, cut from a team, forgotten. But even then, his gift for basketball entertainment was initially a hard sell.

“I had no choice. This is what I love,” he proclaims. “Other kids have an aspiration to be a doctor. And in a country like Malaysia, my mom was looking around. There were no programs, there were no scholarships. None.”

With no blueprint and no one to follow, Nethanial then determined that he would be the first, bringing underground basketball entertainment to the mainstream. He would perform at schools, or even just in the street so people would give him money. Scalia started advertising, contacting event organizers online, even doing shows for free. This went on for two years as he built his portfolio.

“When I look at freestyle, I can perform anywhere, even at non-basketball events, phone launches, concerts, festivals. That’s the bigger picture.”

Nethanial has even performed at a FIFA World Cup event, and has built an impressive client base simply from promoting himself online. Scalia is now a brand ambassador for Puma Malaysia and other brands. He splits his time between the Philippines and Malaysia, and goes home to his mother’s hometown in Pangasinan when time permits.

Scalia hopes to create an even bigger following here in his motherland, bringing the wow factor everywhere he goes. It’s a lesson in following your passion and sharing your gift, no matter how hard it may seem. The reward is always sweeter.