Jr. NBA delegates rub elbows with legends

BEIJING, China – The Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA participants got a shock of their lives after seeing not just Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming in person but also former NBA superstars Sam Perkins, Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic during Tuesday night's friendly games at the NBA Yao School here.

The 7-6 Yao, owner of the Chinese Basketball League's Shanghai Sharks who played nine seasons with the Houston Rockets before his career was cut short due to recurring injuries, was here to welcome the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA representatives from the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.

And then Divac and Stojakovic, both Serbians who once played together for the Sacramento Kings, came right after Yao before Perkins, who played 17 NBA seasons, joined everyone for another round of photo opportunity.

It was a memorable experience for the 70 children, whose ages range from 13 to 15 years old, especially the Filipinos, who considers basketball as a religion.

“It was the biggest thing that happened to me,” said Karl Ann Pingol, who turned 13th Wednesday, in Filipino.

NBA Asia’s Scott Levy and NBA Philippines’ Carlo Singson were also there to watch the kids play.

Singson said future Hall of Famer Shaquille O’ Neal almost paid the children a visit but cancelled it in the last minute.

Under the watch of Yao, Perkins, Divac and Stojakovic, the Jr. NBA all-stars were mixed and matched with select players from the NBA Yao School and played a pair of pick-up games spread into 15-minute halves.

The Jr. WNBA players also had their share of court time and also displayed their wares for a couple of 10-minute halves.

The Filipinos shone the brightest with SJ Belangel, formerly of Bacolod’s Taytung and now with Ateneo High, La Salle-Zobel’s Luigi Velasco, Iloilo natives Vince Leo Dolando and David Umadhay and Rhayyan Amsali of Nazareth School coming out impressive.

Not to be outdone were the Phl girls teams of Pingol of Pototan Elementary School in Iloilo, Arielle Marie Lanot of La Salle-Zobel, University of Southern Phl’s MJ Pascual and Pereptual Help’s Roxanne Salvador and Kreecie Bettina Bianohan.

The Phl teams, whose trip here is being bankrolled by Alaska Milk and NBA, are coached by Cliff Andy Tecocan and Pia Dysangco.

More basketball games have been scheduled in the final day of the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA Tour at the NBA Yao School, which is located right beside the Mastercard Center where all participants to be treated to a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Sacramento Kings in the night to cap it all off.