Dagupan girl gets rare chance to play with LeBron

DAGUPAN, Philippines – A teenage female got her lifetime wish and greatest birthday present with her unexpected rise to stardom via her recent life-changing encounter with world’s greatest basketball superstar LeBron James at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Kristine Cayabyab, who turned 13 on Aug. 26, told The STAR that her life dramatically changed after she was picked as one of the two girls in a squad of teenage boys to show her basketball wares with the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player watching from the sidelines during the Nike Rise.

Cayabyab said she was among the 800 basketball players who auditioned in Dagupan City in July and was among the final 30. The number was further trimmed down to one from Pangasinan and she was sent to Manila for a possible chance to be handpicked anew to form the squad for the Nike’s basketball reality search from basketball tryouts held across the country.

The meat butcher’s daughter from Barangay Pogo Chico here was one of the final players chosen by former national team coach Chot Reyes to compose the Rise team from a group of street-ballers gathered from all over the country.

“Masayang-masaya ako dahil once-in-a-lifetime lang yung makalaro si LeBron James ( I was so happy because that was only once-in-a-lifetime to play with LeBron James),” she said.

She said the Cleveland Cavaliers forward gave her autographed shoes and ball “but the best was when I played with him.”

She said her ultimate goal is to be part of WNBA.