Ex-NBA star Rip Hamilton impressed with Kobe Paras

MANILA, Philippines – Kobe Paras has been making waves in the United States that he has started to draw attention from notable NBA players. Count recent Philippine visitor Richard "Rip" Hamilton in  the list.

Hamilton, who is in the country Wednesday to do free camps and give gifts to less fortunate kids from Mandaluyong City courtesy of the NBA Cares program and Globe, said he was impressed with Paras, son of former PBA rookie MVP Benjie who will play for the UCLA Bruins in the US NCAA.

"I've seen some highlights of him in the internet," said Hamilton of Paras in Wednesday's briefing at the NBA Cafe in Taguig City. "I'm a fan of the game. I'm always watching new talent and watching new kids come up and at the time I've seen him play I didn’t know he was from the Philippines.

"When I was in the car coming in, I asked our driver who is the best player to come out of the Philippines and he was saying that there is this 6-7 guard from UCLA named Kobe Paras and I say 'hey, that's the kid I've seen on YouTube,'" he added.

Paras, of course, originally played high school ball at La Salle-Greenhills before transferring to the Los Angeles Cathedral where he made a lot of heads turn and helped him get an athletic scholarship from UCLA, a US NCAA Division I school.

And if he trains hard and dream big, Hamilton said he'll have a chance.

"My dad told me when I was a kid don't let anybody tell you you couldn’t do something big and I think if he (Paras) keeps training hard and dream big, he'll have a chance," said Hamilton.

Hamilton, of course, has been there and done that, having won an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, made it to the All-Stars thrice and played with Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards before that.

And speaking of Jordan, Hamilton said he's incomparable.

"It's not a tough question because I'm a Michael Jordan guy and I believe that Michael Jordan is the greatest player that ever played basketball," said Hamilton.

"There are a couple of guys close, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Shaq (O'Neal), Julius Erving,  Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James but I just think Michael Jordan and everybody else."