By Joaquin Henson
Thursday, June 14, 2007
CLEVELAND – Although defense is his strong suit, snappy dresser San Antonio Spurs guard Bruce Bowen is known for his suits that suit him just fine. Bowen’s suits are exclusively tailored by “Rich and Famous,” a tailoring shop on Pasay Road.
It was San Antonio director of pro player personnel Dell Demps who opened Bowen’s eyes to the expertise of Filipino tailors.
As a PBA import, Demps played for Pepsi in 1992 and Shell in 1994.
He discovered “Rich and Famous” during his Manila trips. Since playing for Shell, Demps has come back for at least three more visits, the last before joining the New York Knicks as a scout in 2003.
To this day, fashion-conscious Demps and Bowen get their suits tailored by “Rich and Famous.” Demps’ close friend, Talk ‘N’ Text coach Derick Pumaren, sends the suits and made-to-order shirts to San Antonio for both satisfied customers.
In a Star interview the other day, Bowen said he can’t complain about the suits he wears.
“Yeah, they’re made in the Philippines,” he acknowledged. “And I intend to do a lot more business with my tailor. I like my suits just the way they are.”
Bowen, 35, is one of eight Spurs who are at least 30, making the team the oldest in the league with an average of 30.3 years. He’s also one of three Spurs never drafted by an NBA franchise – the others are Fabricio Oberto and Jackie Butler.
Not known as a shooter, Bowen has made a living out of playing hard-nosed defense. In the NBA Finals, his job is to contain Cleveland’s LeBron James. It’s a task that’s right down Bowen’s alley.
After holding James to 14 points in Game 1, Bowen said the work is just going to get harder.
“We still have a long way to go as far as they’re going to make adjustments,” he said. “That’s the thing you have to guard against more than anything else. It’s really about adjustments. One thing I can try to do night in and night out is to make things as tough as I can on LeBron. That doesn’t mean taking things away but it means doing the little things. Maybe it’s denying him the basketball at certain times, getting a hand up on each and every shot. Those are the things that you can control. You can’t control if they start doing a different type of pick and roll. It’s still left up to you as a player to come out and give 110 percent on whatever it is that you’re doing.”
Off the court, Bowen pulled the rug from under James in another department. Bowen’s Cuban-born wife Yardley Barbon gave birth to their second son, Ozmel – six pounds, 11 ounces – last Saturday on the eve of Game 2. Their first child, Ojani, also a boy, was born after the Spurs beat Detroit in the 2005 Finals.
James’ girlfriend Savannah Brinson is due to give birth anyday to their second child and lost in the delivery race to the Bowens. Their first-born, LeBron, Jr., is now two years old like Ojani.
Bowen made his NBA debut for Miami in 1996-97 and played for the Heat, Boston and Philadelphia before moving to San Antonio in 2001-02. Last year, he went back to school to earn a degree in communications at California State-Fullerton.
Bowen had a rough upbringing. His father Bruce Jr. was a drug dealer and mother, Dietra Campbell a drug addict. He was abandoned by his parents as a boy and cared for by different sets of foster parents until he made it as a professional athlete.
The 6-7, 200-pound stopper has been named to the All-Defensive team six years in a row and has two title rings to show. Detractors label him a dirty player for using tricks such as stepping under a shooter or extending his knee to clear space but for Bowen, it’s just all in a game’s work.
“Never give up,” said Bowen. “I think the whole key to my defense is to try to stay in each and every play. Some nights, you’re going to do a great job, some nights they’re going to do a great job. But for me, the telling situation is, am I still putting a hand up on each shot? When they have 40 points, am I still as aggressive trying to defend them as I was in the first quarter?”
In Game 3, Bowen didn’t only play tough defense on King James but also contributed 13 points on 4-of-5 triples and 1-of-4 free throws plus nine rebounds as the Spurs won, 75-72, on the road. The fashion plate looked good in shorts, too.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
CLEVELAND – Although defense is his strong suit, snappy dresser San Antonio Spurs guard Bruce Bowen is known for his suits that suit him just fine. Bowen’s suits are exclusively tailored by “Rich and Famous,” a tailoring shop on Pasay Road.
It was San Antonio director of pro player personnel Dell Demps who opened Bowen’s eyes to the expertise of Filipino tailors.
As a PBA import, Demps played for Pepsi in 1992 and Shell in 1994.
He discovered “Rich and Famous” during his Manila trips. Since playing for Shell, Demps has come back for at least three more visits, the last before joining the New York Knicks as a scout in 2003.
To this day, fashion-conscious Demps and Bowen get their suits tailored by “Rich and Famous.” Demps’ close friend, Talk ‘N’ Text coach Derick Pumaren, sends the suits and made-to-order shirts to San Antonio for both satisfied customers.
In a Star interview the other day, Bowen said he can’t complain about the suits he wears.
“Yeah, they’re made in the Philippines,” he acknowledged. “And I intend to do a lot more business with my tailor. I like my suits just the way they are.”
Bowen, 35, is one of eight Spurs who are at least 30, making the team the oldest in the league with an average of 30.3 years. He’s also one of three Spurs never drafted by an NBA franchise – the others are Fabricio Oberto and Jackie Butler.
Not known as a shooter, Bowen has made a living out of playing hard-nosed defense. In the NBA Finals, his job is to contain Cleveland’s LeBron James. It’s a task that’s right down Bowen’s alley.
After holding James to 14 points in Game 1, Bowen said the work is just going to get harder.
“We still have a long way to go as far as they’re going to make adjustments,” he said. “That’s the thing you have to guard against more than anything else. It’s really about adjustments. One thing I can try to do night in and night out is to make things as tough as I can on LeBron. That doesn’t mean taking things away but it means doing the little things. Maybe it’s denying him the basketball at certain times, getting a hand up on each and every shot. Those are the things that you can control. You can’t control if they start doing a different type of pick and roll. It’s still left up to you as a player to come out and give 110 percent on whatever it is that you’re doing.”
Off the court, Bowen pulled the rug from under James in another department. Bowen’s Cuban-born wife Yardley Barbon gave birth to their second son, Ozmel – six pounds, 11 ounces – last Saturday on the eve of Game 2. Their first child, Ojani, also a boy, was born after the Spurs beat Detroit in the 2005 Finals.
James’ girlfriend Savannah Brinson is due to give birth anyday to their second child and lost in the delivery race to the Bowens. Their first-born, LeBron, Jr., is now two years old like Ojani.
Bowen made his NBA debut for Miami in 1996-97 and played for the Heat, Boston and Philadelphia before moving to San Antonio in 2001-02. Last year, he went back to school to earn a degree in communications at California State-Fullerton.
Bowen had a rough upbringing. His father Bruce Jr. was a drug dealer and mother, Dietra Campbell a drug addict. He was abandoned by his parents as a boy and cared for by different sets of foster parents until he made it as a professional athlete.
The 6-7, 200-pound stopper has been named to the All-Defensive team six years in a row and has two title rings to show. Detractors label him a dirty player for using tricks such as stepping under a shooter or extending his knee to clear space but for Bowen, it’s just all in a game’s work.
“Never give up,” said Bowen. “I think the whole key to my defense is to try to stay in each and every play. Some nights, you’re going to do a great job, some nights they’re going to do a great job. But for me, the telling situation is, am I still putting a hand up on each shot? When they have 40 points, am I still as aggressive trying to defend them as I was in the first quarter?”
In Game 3, Bowen didn’t only play tough defense on King James but also contributed 13 points on 4-of-5 triples and 1-of-4 free throws plus nine rebounds as the Spurs won, 75-72, on the road. The fashion plate looked good in shorts, too.