Famed streetballer “The Professor” returns to the Philippines for a tour with a popular sportswear brand and is raring to revel in the country’s basketball craze.
The Philippines’ reputation as a basketball crazed country precedes itself among the sport’s biggest names from NBA and WNBA players, to cultural icons like famed streetballer Grayson “The Professor” Boucher as he makes another trip to the country as part of his Asian tour.
Having been to Manila for the first time some 20 years ago during the AND1 Mixtape Tour, Boucher is back. This time, he's with sports brand Anta as they continue to push for streetball's growth both in the Philippines and in the world.
Speaking at a press conference in Makati on Friday afternoon, Boucher spoke about how he relates to the Filipino basketball community.
“I think what resonates most with me is the passion. You know what I mean? Just the diehard passion for the game. In most places, if they like streetball, that shows that they just love basketball in general,” he said.
“Like if you're a diehard place that loves basketball, there'll be like a streetball genre too, because that's like deep in the niche of the game. And so for here, this is a big audience for everything with basketball,” he added.
Boucher’s press conference also included a special pair of Shock Wave 7 — a one of one design that is also inspired by the Philippines.
The 41-year-old also shared the event alongside local streetballers, including Nino Ventura and Joshua Gueco, who had played with “The Professor” back in 2004 and 2005 when he starred in events with AND1 at the Araneta Coliseum.
Now returning with a renewed sense of connection with Filipinos, he couldn’t help but fawn over the country’s love for the game.
“I think that's what I feel most is like the passion and the heart they have for the game. I think as a people, I come to the Philippines, everybody's so kind, you know what I mean? Way nicer than the U.S. Just like, you know, people to people,” he quipped.
“Like, I can say that for sure. But the heart for the game and the support is what stands through most.”
Boucher is expected to spend the weekend in Manila, where he will also be making stops through different Anta shops and mingling with the local streetball community.