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NBA superstar LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers made a lasting impression on young Filipino basketball players while at the same time putting on a show for the Mall of Asia Arena crowd during his “Rise Beyond Belief” tour on Thu evening, Aug 20.
James, who is making his second visit to Manila, helped introduce the final 12 members of Team Rise, who went through a rigorous six-week training program at the House of Rise in Mandaluyong to improve their basketball skills.
The 12 members of Team Rise, along with select Nike athletes, competed in an entertaining scrimmage that saw sensational dunks from Chris Ellis, Cliff Hodge, and UCLA-bound Kobe Paras, who memorably dunked on James when he first visited the country in 2013.
The Rise players also gave a good account of themselves, particularly Kristine Cayabyab, who won the three-point shootout at halftime and showed off her skills during the game as well.
It was James’ entry into the game with about five minutes to go that sent the crowd into a frenzy, however. The “King,” playing for Team White, wowed the audience with several rim-rattling dunks, while also giving his teammates a chance to shine.
At one point, James even jokingly defended Cayabyab, who immediately passed the ball off to a Team Black teammate.
In the end, Team Black beat James’ Team White, 100-86, but the final score was irrelevant for the crowd who were on their feet by the time the final buzzer sounded.
“You guys, you fans, you guys are unbelievable,” James said. “We thank you so much.”
“The Rise kids and the older guys, thank you so much for representing for the Philippines,” he added.
He added a heartfelt message meant for both the Rise kids and the crowd, saying: “Rise above everything, no matter what it is. Rise above the hardship. Rise above adversity, and that’s what these kids are doing.”
“They’re gonna need your help throughout the process, so please take care of them,” he added.
James completed his tour by giving away signed basketballs to the crowd, including one to Cayabyab, and throwing his signed jersey to the audience.
Text: Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBNNews.com
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
