The King holds court

MANILA, Philippines - NBA star LeBron James sat cross-legged on a huge, black chair and reaffirmed his compassion for the less privileged during a free-wheeling interview with media at the House of Rise, a monument that Nike created to celebrate the Filipinos’ love for basketball, in Mandaluyong the other day.

James, 30, blew into town in a private jet from Shanghai late Wednesday afternoon to start the Manila leg of his Asian Rise tour. He left last night. It was his second visit here in three years.

“I’m happy to be back,” said James, a four-time NBA MVP. “It’s unbelievable as far the influence of basketball is (in the Philippines). My last trip here was a success. There were games with me, they welcomed me with open arms in their homeland and I felt it was my duty and my job to be back.”

James said the love of basketball is something that brings people together in good or bad times. “No matter what people endure, you can always use sports or me as a way to kind of forget what’s going on,” he said. “There’s a lot of hardships that go on here as well as in my hometown. I just try to be a breath of fresh air or a way to clear your mind about all the negative things that may come up.”

As for the Nike Rise program, James said he’s proud to be a part of it. “It’s very important what Nike is doing,” he said. “It’s about giving kids the resources to accomplish things which they probably never thought they could accomplish.” In the Philippine version of Nike Rise, 24 kids were picked from tryouts in Dagupan, Manila, Cebu and Davao and brought to the House of Rise for six weeks of training under coach Chot Reyes. Over 800 kids within the age range of 12 to 21 showed up for the tryouts which focused on mainly out-of-school youth with little or no exposure to formal basketball training but with tons of potential to excel on the court. Of the 24 kids, 16 were not enrolled in school. Nike provided the 24 kids with board, lodging, footwear, apparel and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to rise from nowhere to a situation where they could be scouted as future big league players.

James also spoke about his 10-year-old son Bronny (LeBron James, Jr.) who has been the subject of media buzz lately. Bronny was cited for his “court vision, range and crossover ability” in starring for his fourth grade team in a recent summer league. “He’s not going to follow in my footsteps,” said James. “He has his own footsteps. As a father, you give your kids the blueprint and it’s up to them to make their own name and create their own ways. With my kids, basketball is the last thing right now. Bronny’s happy to be a big brother to his little sister and he loves school and things of that nature.” James and wife Savannah have three children, Bronny, Bryce Maximus and Zhuri.

James said his high school teammate Romeo Travis told him about his experience of playing for Alaska in the last PBA Governors Cup. “He loved it,” said James. “He hopes he can get an invite back. He had an unbelievable time in the Philippines. He wished he could’ve been here with me today but he sends his best.” Travis towed the Aces to the Finals but fell short of capturing the title.

Regarding what motivated him to chase his basketball dream, James said it was finding a way to get away from the surroundings in his childhood. His mother Gloria was only 16 when he was born and she raised him as a single parent. They moved from apartment to apartment in seedy neighborhoods in Akron, Ohio, as she tried to make both ends meet until finally, she took him to live with the family of Frank Walker, a youth football coach, to show him a better life. It was Walker who introduced basketball to James as a nine-year-old boy. “My motivation came from the surroundings,” he said. “You know, just to find a way to get away from it and I used that motivation every single day whenever I was on the basketball court.”

James said love of the game is the best quality of a basketball player. “When you have the love and the passion for it, it will get back to you,” he said. “It’s true love of the game.” Regarding his place in history, James said he’s not caught up by it. “I’ve dealt with the game of basketball and my position in history will be there for anyone who wants to label me but I’m more of just the game. That’s just a small part of what I am.”

James said delivering in pressure situations involves believing in oneself. “I put a lot of hard work into my craft, into what I do and I trust it when I’m on the floor,” he said. “You’re not going to win every game and you won’t make every game-winning shot but every single time you’re out there, you give it your all and you trust what you’re capable of doing and you’ll get the results.”

James said representing his country in international tournaments is a commitment. “It doesn’t mean I have to be out on the floor every time,” said James. “Being an American, it’s much more than just putting on a uniform. I’ve been grateful to do it three times in the Olympics. If I’m able to go back there (in Rio de Janeiro) next summer, it’ll be great. If not, it won’t take away from what I’ve done for the US national men’s team.”

James called Florida teenager Matthew Walzer, who is afflicted with cerebral palsy, an inspiration to himself and Nike. Walzer, 19, couldn’t tie his own shoes because of his disability and wrote Nike CEO Mark Parker about developing a shoe for the physically challenged. Nike shoe designer Tobie Hatfield reached out to Walzer and for three years, they worked on a shoe that was recently launched as Nike Zoom Soldier 8 Flyease which is a zippered, wrap-around entry-and-closure model to make it easy to wear.