Isaac Go was never supposed to be a basketball player. At least, that was the plan.
Two reasons stood in the way: academics always came first, and he didn’t see himself physically built for the hardwood.
"I think it’s been out there na I’m not really into basketball. Talagang nahatak lang ako because [first] matangkad ako, at kuya ko gusto [akong maglaro],” he said.
But fate, as it often does in sports, had other ideas.
As it stands, Go is a three-time UAAP champion with Ateneo, a former national team player, the no. 1 overall pick of the 2019 PBA Draft, and now proudly wearing the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel jersey.
Safe to say, this wasn’t a path he carved out for himself. The game chose him.
And it all started with a bet he wasn’t supposed to lose.
"I made a bet with my mom: 'Ma, Pa, if mag honor ako ulit, pwede akong mag-quit ng basketball.' I failed. Hindi ako nag-honor nun eh. Really, it’s the people I’ve met, the connections I’ve made, everything—basketball has given me more than I have given it,” Go recalled.
That wager became a turning point.
“Sobrang life-changing nun kasi it’s what sent me down this path eh. For context—suicide [drills] ko, planting rice time ko, one minute ako dati—I would be the last one to leave practice. Make two or three free throws straight, you can go home, ako 'yung last so parang all the signs were pointing no [to basketball],” he said.
“But I guess they have more plans for me. I’m here today, I’m here in the PBA.”
For someone who once doubted his place in the sport, Go eventually turned heads by playing winning basketball at Ateneo.
With his combination of size, smarts, and sweet shooting touch, Go was the top rookie prospect in 2019 and was proven so when he went first overall during the special Gilas round of his batch.
"I was no. 1 draft pick, I got to play in the national team. Sa family namin, wala kaming professional athlete,” Go said.
“In terms of professional, ako talaga 'yung first na athlete sa both sides ng family ko na nag-college. Like wow, ako pa talaga 'yung nauna."
But here’s the catch: making the PBA was never even on his vision board.
"I wasn’t really sure of where basketball is gonna go because growing up, it was never 'you're going to make the PBA.' It was always step by step, it was never 'dream ko mag-PBA,’” he said.
“Hindi ako ganun 'eh. There was always a need for Plan B, a backup plan."
And that Plan B was a solid one. Go finished a degree in BS Management in Applied Chemistry from Ateneo, followed by a master’s diploma in Sustainability Management.
For all intents and purposes, Isaac Go was set for the corporate world, had basketball not intervened.
"I really thought [of doing] corporate jobs, traditional family business, I always thought 'yun na talaga 'yung path ko ‘e. But basketball had other plans,” he said,
Isaac’s parents instilled that mindset early: education first, because the game can be taken away in a snap.
"Growing up, my parents emphasized the importance of education, because at the end of the day, basketball can be gone just like that. Anyone can rob you of it,” he said.
“But education, your degree—no one can take that away from you. It’s always with you no matter what and it’s a sense of pride na nagawa ko, and sana magawa 'rin ng iba."
Still, the hardwood transformed him in ways no classroom could.
"Basketball changed me talaga. I used to be this study first, nerd, kind of guy, really shy, really just kept to myself. Tapos kung maiisip mo lahat ng diperensya sakin—lampa, asthmatic, astigmatism. Lahat talaga,” Go said.
“But because of basketball, I changed personalities, I became outgoing, friendlier, more warm. I got to travel the world—Bahrain, Greece, Australia, US, because of basketball. I got to meet so many different people, I got to interview NBA players."
The once-shy student is now a professional athlete, carrying the badge of a fighter and the pride of a pioneer in his family.
Though currently sidelined by an ACL injury, the second of his PBA career, his resolve hasn’t wavered.
In fact, the player who once couldn’t imagine basketball as a career now admits he can’t see life without it.
"If you ask me what I would do without the PBA, hindi ko talaga alam kasi I’ve said before, I never thought I’d be doing basketball as a job. Now that I have it, parang if I look back, the decisions I’ve made then has led me here,” he said.
“If I slowly made those decisions back then, 'di ko talaga maisip where I’d be without basketball and the PBA right now. It’s really having the opportunity to have basketball as a profession and get paid doing what you love. Grateful sa opportunities."
What Isaac Go thought was just a bet became a career—and when basketball called, he answered.
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Gillian Trinidad began her career in the industry as a content producer before finding her voice as a feature writer.
She has covered a wide range of competitions—from esports titles like League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and VALORANT to traditional sports and entertainment, including the WWE, PBA, and Gilas Pilipinas.