19 years in the league and LeBron James has some of the most ridiculous excuses for certain hiccups.
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LeBron James has been known to form super teams and make lame excuses – none worse than what he had to say for himself during an exhibition match. In 2013, the now Lakers star made a short trip to Manila, the Philippines to promote his new sneakers. He was a part of an exhibition match with a local team, who were ecstatic to play against an NBA back-to-back champion.
The Philippines has been known to consume athletic wear quite a bit. It is a hot destination amongst the NBA crowd to have their promotions there. They love basketball and are proud of Jalen Green and Jordan Clarkson, two of the biggest names of Filipino descent.
During one of these tours, LeBron accepted to play one match against Gilas Pilipinas. It was a 10-minute game, where his team had a mix of juniors and seniors of the UAAP. It was like watching Michael Schumacher race against a bunch of formula 3 race drivers. James had to put in one layup to tie the game, which he missed, to the Pilipinas’ delight. The formula 3 drivers beat the goliath!
LeBron James loves the Philippines a lot – since his first visit in 2013, he’s gone there 2 more times
As much as it was funny watching him miss and give out that ridiculous statement, there was some truth behind it, because the jersey was visibly smaller than what he was used to. There could have been some mobility problems, but hey, it was only a scrimmage. If he did that in this day and age, he would be torched.
Just like Kobe Bryant in China, LeBron James has a huge fan following in the island nation. His sneakers have taken inspiration from the Filipino culture, which is why he is so popular with them. Kickstarting with the “Agimat” colorway, James had 4 consecutive years with some form of nod to the Philippines culture, which makes him a dear celebrity in their eyes.
The South East Asian community has a growing number of people who love Basketball, and are steadily rising up in the ranks of world rankings. Someday, these kids would get to play their NBA idols and counterparts in a world championship game, if they continue to grow.
