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.

Van Paulo ‘Mr. Big Shots’ Pilanga: The next basketball star from South

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Speed and tactics define the world of a physical game like basketball. Both traits can be attributed to this young basketball star on the rise from Mindanao. Meet Van Paulo Pilanga of Chiang Kai Shek College.

Van Paulo C. Pilanga was born on January 10, 1996 in Zamboanga City to Paulino M. Pilanga III and Virgina C. Pilanga. The 5-foot-9 spitfire cager plays as point guard and shooting guard for Chiang Kai Shek College Blue Dragons.

“If I am in the classroom, I’m a student but if I am in the court, I’m a ball player. I focus inside the class and likewise during practices and games”, quipped Van, when asked about his studies and his being an athlete. He was playing the sports since grade 1 in Zamboanga City. His skills were developed through playing street ball.

Van registered his career high 32 points in MMTLBA tournament. He chose jersey # 7 because he was inspired by his former team mate who was aggressive and hardworking as a player and eventually transferred to a good college team. His pre-game ritual includes listening to hype music. In the NBA, he likes Michael Jordan while in the collegiate ranks, he looks up to UAAP season 77 MVP Kiefer Ravena and NCAA’s Baser Amer of San Beda Red Lions.

If there is an NBA player whom he wants to play one-on-one, it would be Lance Stephenson. “I think he is not a very big star but he is doing his r ole in the team. His role is to defend and hustle. I can see myself in him. I am not a star player in the team but one thing I assure you, if you let me play even for a few minutes, I will give my 100% “, added Van.

His ambition in life is to make it someday in the PBA and to help his family. He also wants to built a charity to help poor people because he believes that in giving back, it will be a way of giving gratitude to all the blessings he received.