The Golden State Warriors (GSW) may have lost to the Detroit Pistons in today’s game but they’re still mandirigmas to their Filipino fans celebrating the team’s Filipino Heritage Night.
Mandirigma, which means “warrior” or “experienced soldier” in Filipino, can be seen in one of the team’s new limited edition shirts available on NBA.com for US$25.
Fans of the team have been spreading Filipino pride over the shirts and the event online, so even those who aren’t in Oakland’s Oracle Arena can join in on the festivities.
Hanep kala mo taga-UE lang Golden State hahaha lakas maka-Mandirigma https://t.co/qtcbp0h91k
— き (@Koltia_Idle) October 30, 2017
Apart from the shirts, spectators were also treated to a short cultural show during halftime when the American Center of Philippine Arts performed traditional Filipino dances.
The Warriors’ Facebook page also shared photos from the pre-game tailgate sponsored by Filipino rum brand Tanduay.
Tanduay, the second best-selling rum in the world, became an official sponsor of GSW earlier this month.
In an interview with Balitang America, the GSW’s Chief Marketing Officer Chip Bowers said that 44 percent of the Warriors’ Facebook followers are from the Philippines. “Of our 12 million Facebook followers, 44 percent of them are from the Philippines, so we love to be associated with the best of brand companies,” he said.
This isn’t at all surprising considering how much Filipinos love basketball and that Filipinos are one of the largest Asian groups in California.
Are you getting your own mandirigma shirt?
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