Stephen Curry leaves Daniel Padilla speechless, basketball fans roaring at MOA arena in 1-day Manila visit

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry left the Philippines wanting for more of him, and indeed, he said this will not be his last trip to the country as he finished his one-day only trip to Manila for his Under Armour promotional tour on September 5, Saturday.

He capped the day with a media question and answer at Raffles hotel in Makati followed by an exhibition game with selected high school cagers at the Mall of Asia Arena in the afternoon. Philippine actor and teen heartthrob Daniel Padilla had a meet-and-greet with him in a VIP lounge at Raffles Makati. “That might have been the first time, I’m guessing, he was speechless”, said Curry in the media press conference. It was reported recently that Stephen Curry surprisingly  followed Daniel Padilla on Twitter because the actor posted his collection of the champion layers’ signature shoes and merchandise.

Asked by this reporter if there is pressure going into the regular season being the efending champion and reigning MVP, the baby-faced Curry said “We feel like we’re still the team to beat. It’s going to be a different challenge for us. We’ve never defended an NBA championship before so it will be a new experience for us. All eyes are on our team and every other team is trying to knock us off our throne, so we have to be even better than we were last year to get back to the top.”

Wardell Stephen “Steph” Curry II or popularly known as Stephen Curry was born on March 14, 1988. He is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing 6’ 3” tall, Curry plays the point guard position and is considered by some to be the one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.  The 2015 NBA Most Valuable Player and a two-time NBA All-Star, is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry. In this year’s NBA finals, Curry carried his team into the championship, something that the Golden State Warriors franchise hasn’t repeated since 1975.

UE’s hard court heartthrob Kent Matthew “The Flash” Contorno slams his way to stardom

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Resiliency, Speed and tactics define the world of physical games like basketball. These traits can be attributed to this young basketball star on the rise from Mindanao.

Born Kent Matthew Q. Contorno on August 6, 1997 to Mr. Arnold S. Contorno and Ms. Sheila Q. Contorno in Zamboanga City, this 6-foot shooting guard from UE Junior Warriors can step up for his team.

In the NBA, he likes MVP candidates Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and James Harden of the Houston Rockets. In the UAAP, he made his game high 19 points in one of his team’s match ups. If there is an NBA player to whom he would play one-on-one with, it would be Stephen Curry. “I want to learn his moves and his art of shooting”, said Kent. He became a member of the mythical 5 and an MVP in a tournament during their season break.  “My Dad taught me play basketball. Ever since I was young, my sport has been basketball and UE gave me the opportunity to study as a scholar thru this sport,” Kent added.

His ambition is to become a professional basketball player someday. With perseverance and determination tucked under his belt, the road to glory may not be far-fetched for Kent Matthew Contorno.

*photo credits to UBL

Email the author at paolomanuelfule@yahoo.com

Or text 09184059751