Catching Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Kevin Durant court-side for $130 sounds unimaginable. During the 2011 NBA lockout, this was a reality.
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Paying a meager 130$ to catch NBA superstars and future Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Kevin Durant among others sounds unfathomable. To watch them courtside for that amount of money is not even possible. Right?
Well, if you found yourself in Manila in 2011, you could have. Yes, this array of superstars gathered to play games in the Philippines.
The 2011 NBA season was a short one and it was due to the infamous lockout. Players were denied access to team facilities and they had to resort to other means to stay fit.
The next big sporting event after the Thrilla in Manila, The two exhibition games that featured NBA All-stars and legends were the stuff of dreams.
Basketball fans in the country rejoiced as they got an opportunity to see these stars battle it out on the court. The NBA stars, led by Kobe Bryant played two games.
The first game was against the PBA selection team and the second one was against the national team, the Smart Gilas Pilipinas.
During the 2011 NBA strike Kobe and stellar crew of NBA players went to the Philippines and competed against the PBA All-Stars. PBA’s D Siegel & G Norwood and Kobe celebrated their rare connection. They all won the PIAA Pennsylvania Basketball State Champions in HS. #ballconnects pic.twitter.com/r6HTUBaU1R
— Brian_Norwood (@brian_ohana5) February 2, 2020
How the NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul lined up to compete in the Philippines!
The games were a huge hit in the country. They got to see the sheer basketball ability and prowess of these teams as they went to work and dismantled the opposition.
We’re talking about a game with Kobe, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, and James Harden on a $130 courtside seat 😲 pic.twitter.com/pZIoxZSiRh
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) May 22, 2022
As clips would go around floating, these games feature some insane highlights.
2011 NBA Lockout had some of the best games. pic.twitter.com/ZRBjYr2hnb
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) April 17, 2020
That time during the lockout in 2011 when a group of NBA stars went to the Philippines and Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose did THIS… pic.twitter.com/DzizNXZwPT
— Adam Howes (@Howsito) April 13, 2020
Seeing these stars, courtside for a mere $130 sounds like a fever dream but it was reality. Let’s hope the NBA brings the games to more places and we will get to see them courtside.
