Fans form long queue, camp out LeBron fuels the passion

MANILA, Philippines - Basketball diehards camped out and stayed overnight, including a call center agent willing to lose three days’ worth of pay, to be able to obtain free tickets to share rare moments and “witness” the one-day visit of NBA superstar LeBron James next week.

For three days, they formed long lines and braved the heat and endured rain and cold as they parked at the Nike outlet at Bonifacio Global City for that chance of meeting the Miami Heat’s icon, who will be holding a fans’ day next Tuesday at the MOA Arena.

“No choice eh,” said Paul Albar in an interview with Spin.ph. “Hindi mo ‘to mabibili sa iba eh. Regalo na ‘to ng Nike, so ang puhunan mo na lang talaga yung pagod para makuha mo yung ticket (You can’t buy it (tickets) anywhere. This is a gift from Nike so you only have to invest in time to be able to get the ticket.)”

The 28-year-old Albar and wife Joy were among the early birds who formed a long queue outside the Nike Park since Monday for limited, coveted passes that will be released at 12 noon today for the rare event dubbed “Witness History.”

Albar, 28, said he went on leave for three days from his work at a leading call center agency branch in Philcoa and has been waiting in line since midnight. He was fourth in line when he arrived.

Albar has been a LeBron fan since James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Finals in 2007. He has been collecting LeBron’s limited edition shoes, which he would also get from campouts.

“Sapatos pa lang yun. How much more kung yung tao na talaga yung darating, in person, makikita mo kung gaano siya ka-laki, ka-tangkad? Talagang worth dying for yung ticket (Those were only the shoes, how much more when the real person comes, seeing how tall and big the guy is),” said Albar.

Nike Phils. will give away two free tickets for each fan on a first-come, first-served basis.

James’ first – and perhaps only – visit is part of its “Leave a Message” campaign designed to inspire young Filipino athletes to strive for greatness and perhaps be like the Miami Heat superstar.

Since breaking into the NBA as a high school phenom exactly a decade ago, James has won two titles for Miami. He clinched the MVP regular season trophy four times, made the All-Star nine times while winning two All-Star MVP and a one-time scoring champion and 2004 Rookie of the Year. He also won an Olympic gold in London.