Arenas mania sweeps metro

NBA star Gilbert Arenas drew huge crowds at the start of his four-day visit dubbed the Adidas Agent Zero Tour 2008 yesterday, then exhorted the young basketball players to believe in themselves to achieve their dreams.

“My junior high school coach told me to believe in yourself. When all things fail, it’s just you and your dream. You always gotta believe in yourself,” said Arenas amid cheers from the crowd that packed The Conservatory of the Peninsula Manila during the presscon Saturday.

“I think I am more popular here than in the US,” said the 26-year-old Washington Wizards’ ace guard.

Meanwhile, fans and sports buff alike crammed the Adidas outlets at SM MOA, Rockwell and TriNoma yesterday in a meet-and-greet session where the 6-foot-4 cager posed and signed autographs during the launch of his new signature shoes, among them “Agent Zero,” “Hibachi” and “Black President” – all nicknames of the flamboyant Arenas, a corporate social responsibility ambassador for Adidas.

He later graced the La Salle-Ateneo duel in the UAAP at the Araneta Coliseum with Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao where he urged the archrivals to continue playing to the best of their abilities for the love of the game.

“Rivalries are actually good. It brings out the best in players and it brings out the best in teams. The crowd is going to be excited, ” said Arenas.

He added: “Go out there, have fun and play hard. The kids are going to be nervous when they play against each other. But, you know, at the end of the day, it’s just basketball. You play against each other but you play for one kind of goal. And, that’s the love of the game.”

He capped his busy Sunday sked by gracing The Agent Zero Tour statement show, also at the TriNoma Activity Center.

Arenas, who averaged 19.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 13 contests in the last season, will also lead the turnover of a basketball court to a Gawad Kalinga community as part of Adidas’ mission to help promote sports among the youth.

Fresh from his sold-out Gil Zero collection, Arenas comes out with a wider range of signature products, including the Black President, Vote for Gilbert, Channel Zero, NBA live 2008, Hibachi, Customize, I Love LA and Agent Zero. He also released Looney Toones special footwear Tweety and Bugs.