Young Filipino-Americans who dream of playing in the NBA in the future got to a taste of what its like playing at the iconic basketball courts in New York City.
The Big Apple recently held its third Filipino Heritage Night at the Madison Square Garden, with a ball game between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors.
"It's just a great opportunity to bring our community together, have fun, make a difference and most importantly, represent," said Brendan Flores of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations.
Philippine Consul General Senen Mangalile, meanwhile, said the game shows Filipinos' love for basketball.
"This is a very big opportunity for our diaspora in the Northeast U.S. to show how big a love we have for basketball," he said. "At the same time, the many things our community has been doing to support young athletes who will someday be playing for the Philippine flag."
Young Filipino hoopsters from the North American Basketball Association or NABA not only got to see their favorite NBA stars in person and in action, but they also got to shoot hoops on the very court where the Knicks and the Raptors played earlier that day.
Jordan Bartlett is a former Green Archer of De La Salle University in the Philippines. He said now is the best time for Filipino representation in the NBA.
"Coach [Erik] Spoelstra signed the biggest contract ever, that’s representation for us,," he said. "We have pride that he did that for the Filipino people. We have players like Jalen Green, Jordan Clarkson, and Ron Harper Junior is a two-way player for the Raptor."
The Brooklyn Nets also celebrated its Filipino Heritage Night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Aside from celebrating culture through dance, budding players from the Filipino American Basketball League of Long Island (FABLI) also duked it out with their idols from the Nets.
"It's really important to me and it's going to be an experience I'll never forget," said FABLI member Benjamin Tanghal. "Basketball is essential for us. If we don’t play basketball, then what is there to life?"
Organizers have expressed hope that the experience will inspire the next generation of Fil-Ams to pursue their dreams of making it in the NBA.