Kobe Coming this July!?!

[SmartGilasFan]

I dont know if this is accurate but i heard Quinito Henson saying during the game between SMB and BGK that US ambassador told him that kobe will be visiting this july 21. Is this true?

[nardy]

I dont know if this is accurate but i heard Quinito Henson saying during the game between SMB and BGK that US ambassador told him that kobe will be visiting this july 21. Is this true?

Yup so with Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra

[thadzonline]

pareng nards, any news re: Spoelstra's supposed coaching clinic?

[nardy]

pareng nards, any news re: Spoelstra's supposed coaching clinic?

Fil-Am NBA head coach to visit RP
By Joaquin Henson Updated July 04, 2009 12:00 AM



MANILA, Philippines – Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will arrive in Manila, tentatively on July 27 for a four or five-day visit under the auspices of the Sports Envoy Program of the US Department of State, a highly-placed source revealed yesterday.

Spoelstra will likely be accompanied by an assistant coach and a WNBA player legend in conducting coaching and playing clinics here. No itinerary has been finalized but it appears Zamboanga will be a stop.

There will be a free day in Spoelstra’s visit and his Filipino relatives in San Pablo, Laguna, are planning to throw a family party to celebrate the NBA coach’s first visit here since he was three years old.

Spoelstra’s mother Elisa Caridad Celino, 68, is from San Pablo. She is a UP Diliman journalism graduate and taught at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City before leaving for the US in 1966. His father Jon is of Dutch-Irish descent and used to work in the front office of the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets.

Spoelstra has an older sister Monica who is involved in advertising and graphic design. His mother has a sister and two brothers living in the Philippines. A first cousin Dr. Andy Dimayuga of San Pablo said the family is excited about Spoelstra’s homecoming. Even a Filipino cousin residing in Singapore is booked to fly over to join the festivities.

A source said the visiting group will include a WNBA player legend in an effort to promote women’s basketball which has been singled out as a vast untapped potential market. No player has been named but Cynthia Cooper is an option if she is available. Cooper, 46, won two NCAA titles with the University of Southern California, played on the US team that won Olympic gold in 1988, was a two-time WNBA MVP and led the Houston Comets to four WNBA crowns. She retired from playing in 2004.

The Sports Envoy Program is similar to the “Understand The Game” project that brought former NBA star Detlef Schrempf to the country for clinics in 2003.

Schrempf conducted basketball clinics for kids in Olongapo and Lipa in a trip that was organized by the US Department of State and coordinated by the US Embassy.

Before landing in Manila, Spoelstra and his group will make a brief stop in Japan. Spoelstra made a big splash in his rookie debut as Miami head coach this past season. He took over the reins from Pat Riley and piloted the Heat to a 43-39 record, fifth overall in the Eastern Conference. It was a major turnaround from the previous season where Miami fell to the league cellar with a lowly 15-67 record.

Spoelstra brought the Heat to the first round of the playoffs and without the homecourt advantage, Miami lost to fourth-seeded Atlanta in a best-of-7 series that went the distance. The outcome could’ve been different if only center Jermaine O’Neal was 100 percent. O’Neal suffered a concussion from an elbow to the head by Zaza Pachula in Game 5 of the series, sat out Game 6 (which Miami won, 98-72, behind Dwyane Wade’s 41 points and Michael Beasley’s 22) and played only 42 seconds in a bit role in Game 7.

The series clincher was highly physical and Atlanta won, 91-78, as Wade pumped in 31, Beasley 17 and Udonis Haslem 14. Spoelstra and his troops went down fighting as the Heat gained the respect of the NBA cognoscenti, ending the season with their heads unbowed. Spoelstra deserved much of the credit for bringing life back to the Heat.

[nardy]

Kobe Bryant coming to Manila on July 21
First Posted 15:19:00 07/03/2009

MANILA, Philippines – Still fresh from winning his fourth NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant will be heading for the Manila later this month as part of a six-city tour sponsored by Nike.

Bryant will make his first stop in the Philippines on July 21 and thereafter proceed to Singapore, Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong and Shanghai and Chengdu in China, according to a statement from Nike.

The Lakers star has toured Asia every summer since 2006 and last visited Manila in 2007. In 2008, he went on tour as part of the USA Basketball team leading up to the Beijing Olympics, where he and other NBA stars earned gold medals.

This year’s tour, according to Nike, offers Kobe a chance to check back in with the young players he met on previous tours and meet up and coming players.

“I'm looking forward to returning to Asia to see the progress the kids have made since my last visit,” said Bryant.

“I liked what I saw then and I’m planning to work the kids even harder to give them a better sense of the dedication and hard work it takes to be a champion.”

Nike is also this month the “Nike Dream Season”, which is part of Bryant’s signature shoe collection sold exclusively in Asia.

[Lebron23]

I hope I can meet Kobe Bryant because he's one of the best players in NBA History.

The Cavaliers are my favorite team in the NBA, but I also watched some Lakers Game in the Regular Season and in the Playoffs.

[reinvaldez]

Wow. Kobe will visiting again the Philippnes. This is very nice.

[demonyito]

Fil-Am NBA head coach to visit RP
By Joaquin Henson Updated July 04, 2009 12:00 AM



MANILA, Philippines – Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will arrive in Manila, tentatively on July 27 for a four or five-day visit under the auspices of the Sports Envoy Program of the US Department of State, a highly-placed source revealed yesterday.

Spoelstra will likely be accompanied by an assistant coach and a WNBA player legend in conducting coaching and playing clinics here. No itinerary has been finalized but it appears Zamboanga will be a stop.

There will be a free day in Spoelstra’s visit and his Filipino relatives in San Pablo, Laguna, are planning to throw a family party to celebrate the NBA coach’s first visit here since he was three years old.

Spoelstra’s mother Elisa Caridad Celino, 68, is from San Pablo. She is a UP Diliman journalism graduate and taught at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City before leaving for the US in 1966. His father Jon is of Dutch-Irish descent and used to work in the front office of the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets.

Spoelstra has an older sister Monica who is involved in advertising and graphic design. His mother has a sister and two brothers living in the Philippines. A first cousin Dr. Andy Dimayuga of San Pablo said the family is excited about Spoelstra’s homecoming. Even a Filipino cousin residing in Singapore is booked to fly over to join the festivities.

A source said the visiting group will include a WNBA player legend in an effort to promote women’s basketball which has been singled out as a vast untapped potential market. No player has been named but Cynthia Cooper is an option if she is available. Cooper, 46, won two NCAA titles with the University of Southern California, played on the US team that won Olympic gold in 1988, was a two-time WNBA MVP and led the Houston Comets to four WNBA crowns. She retired from playing in 2004.

The Sports Envoy Program is similar to the “Understand The Game” project that brought former NBA star Detlef Schrempf to the country for clinics in 2003.

Schrempf conducted basketball clinics for kids in Olongapo and Lipa in a trip that was organized by the US Department of State and coordinated by the US Embassy.

Before landing in Manila, Spoelstra and his group will make a brief stop in Japan. Spoelstra made a big splash in his rookie debut as Miami head coach this past season. He took over the reins from Pat Riley and piloted the Heat to a 43-39 record, fifth overall in the Eastern Conference. It was a major turnaround from the previous season where Miami fell to the league cellar with a lowly 15-67 record.

Spoelstra brought the Heat to the first round of the playoffs and without the homecourt advantage, Miami lost to fourth-seeded Atlanta in a best-of-7 series that went the distance. The outcome could’ve been different if only center Jermaine O’Neal was 100 percent. O’Neal suffered a concussion from an elbow to the head by Zaza Pachula in Game 5 of the series, sat out Game 6 (which Miami won, 98-72, behind Dwyane Wade’s 41 points and Michael Beasley’s 22) and played only 42 seconds in a bit role in Game 7.

The series clincher was highly physical and Atlanta won, 91-78, as Wade pumped in 31, Beasley 17 and Udonis Haslem 14. Spoelstra and his troops went down fighting as the Heat gained the respect of the NBA cognoscenti, ending the season with their heads unbowed. Spoelstra deserved much of the credit for bringing life back to the Heat.

please make his visit a one good experience for him. we have to accept it that he is no Filipino but have the filipino roots only. so lets all avoid pressuring him to assured that filipinos can play in NBA coz we know already what will be the answer.

unlike to many american visitors who have thrown lots of "kind" comments but Eric Spoeltra is a NBA coach and anything he will say will reflect on his profession as a head coach in NBA.

[tamagurl87]

buti nalang talaga nandyan si boss nardy..

trans: "thanks you" to sir nardy

[LordOfLeyte]

After winning a title, you'd expect Kobe to slack off a little but being him along with Lebron as Nike Basketball's biggest active endorsers, Kobe is a busy man.

I do like the Noiz of his street shoe signature: "I'm made for the game outside"

Any details on his itineraries here in Manila?

[c_d]

Manila becomes Kobe-town: July 21

BY MICO HALILI

July 04, 2009 | 11:42AM

I wonder if he’s coming in with a scowl or a smile. Kobe Bryant returns to Manila on July 21, 2009 to kick-off the Kobe Bryant 2009 Asia Tour. Will the future Hall-of-Famer return to Manila as feisty as he was in the NBA Finals or as friendly as he will ever be now that he’s on top of the NBA universe?

Bryant visits Manila and 5 other cities in Asia later this month to interact primarily with kids and help them improve their games. Perhaps it’s a grand opportunity for Bryant to show-off his new championship smile as well.

Laker Nation Manila Chapter considers this a slightly-delayed victory parade for Bryant. Over one hundred thousand fans packed the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and thousands more lined up along the downtown streets of Los Angeles to honor Bryant and the 2009 NBA Champions. Once Bryant hits town, expect Laker die-hards in Metro Manila to show the 2009 NBA Finals MVP a lot of Laker Love Manila-Style. From Manila, Bryant’s Asia Tour goes on a full-court press to Singapore (July 22), Taipei (July 23), Hong Kong (July 24), Shanghai (July 25) and Chengdu (July 26).

Bryant returns with a new aura invigorated by redemption and accomplishment. Since his last visit, he lost to the Celtics in the Finals in June ‘08, won the Olympic Gold Medal with the US Redeem Team in Beijing, scored 61 points at the Madison Square Garden, lost the ‘09 MVP race to Lebron James then defeated the Orlando Magic to win his fourth NBA title last month.

Bryant also hopes to check the development of young varsity players he personally trained, even if it was for just one surreal afternoon at the Philsports Arena, back in 2007. Mike Gamboa (UP), Kirk Long (Ateneo), Joshua Webb (DLSU), Nico Salva (Ateneo) and Clark Bautista (UST) might just reunite with their one-day mentor on July 21.

“I’m looking forward to returning to Asia to see the progress the kids have made since my last visit,” Bryant said. “I liked what I saw then and I’m planning to work the kids even harder to give them a better sense of the dedication and hard work it takes to be a champion.” MH

[pachador]

are we going to naturalize kobe ?

[demonyito]

are we going to naturalize kobe ?

he sounds like cebuano as in be or bebe. yes SBP can naturalize him. lets all these desperation go all the way

[LordOfLeyte]

The venues that Kobe shall visit?

MoA or MegaMall?

TriNoma?

[nardy]

Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Meet Kobe? Here's how.

Making his promised return trip to Manila, NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant will kick off his Nike sponsored 2009 Asia Tour: Philippines on July 21, 2009. Seeking to inspire young ballers to continue aspiring for their big hoop dreams, the tour will touch six cities in Asia - Manila, Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Chengdu.

Kobe Bryant’s one-day Manila visit will kick off with a visit at Nike Park, The Fort at 2:00pm, where he will meet young ballers from select Gawad Kalinga communities. Kobe has made it a point to support deserving institutions in every tour, setting aside quality time to be with children who are interested in basketball to encourage them to keep dreaming big. Activities at the Nike Park, The Fort will be broadcasted live over W.N.I.K.E Radio on 89.9 DWTM.

The main event of the basketball superstar’s Manila visit will be a basketball camp at the ULTRA where Kobe will showcase his skills and share his basketball prowess alongside the Nike Elite Campers, a group of up-and-coming young basketball players. The camp will allow Kobe to work with his young fans to help them increase their level of play on the basketball court. The show will start at 4:00pm, gates will be open to the public at 3:00pm.

Additionally, during the tour, Nike and Kobe Bryant will introduce the new Dream Season shoe, a first of its kind basketball shoe designed for outdoor games. The Nike Dream Season, designed with insights from Kobe, helps share his passion for basketball with players throughout Asia Pacific and gives them the opportunity to live out their dreams on the outdoor court.

The Nike Dream Season, both lightweight and durable, is sleek and aggressive much like Kobe’s style of play. In the recently concluded league, Kobe Bryant lived out his dream season. With Nike Dream Season and Kobe’s 2009 Asia Tour, he hopes to continue inspiring young ballers to realize their own dream seasons.

Tickets to see Kobe live at ULTRA will be distributed for one day only: Saturday, July 18, 2009, beginning at 12 noon at Nike Park, The Fort. Tickets are free of charge and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Only two tickets will be given per person, with a total of 3,000 tickets distributed.

W.N.I.K.E Radio, which airs on 89.9 DWTM every Monday from 10-10:30 am, will also award tickets to lucky listeners for this rare opportunity to see Kobe Bryant live.

Posted by Rick Olivares