michael jordan

WATCH: Michael Jordan’s inspirational message to Filipino athletes

Food, Sports

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Michael Jordan, basketball legend and Gatorade ambassador addressed millions of Filipino sportsmen and women in a video message that is sure to inspire basketball-loving Filipinos.

In the video, Jordan, the most decorated player to ever grace a basketball hard court, reminded Filipinos that greatness isn’t granted, it is gained, with each triumph earned through hard work, with dues paid for in blood, sweat, and tears.

“I just want to tell you young Pinoy athletes out there to keep training, keep sweating, and keep working towards your goals,” said Jordan in the video clip.

Jordan was one of the most complete basketball players. He excelled on both sides of the court – as potent a scoring machine as he was as pesky a defender.

“In a basketball crazy nation such as ours, Michael Jordan has been a true inspiration to many generations of Filipinos. As Gatorade’s first athlete ambassador, we look to continue his legacy through his unique partnership with our brand,” said Tony Atayde, Pepsico Philippines Marketing Manager for Hydration. “Gatorade’s dominance as the world’s number one sports drink is backed by contemporary sports science and has a long history of fueling sports greatness. And you don’t need to look further than Jordan for an example of that.”

Despite our vertical challenges, Filipinos passion for basketball runs deep. It is much a part of Filipino culture, and while not native to the Philippines, the sport is its most popular and its most loved. And for years, Gatorade has been fueling that love.

“Fuel your performance with the best. I believe this then, and I still believe this now. Nothing hydrates better, nothing beats Gatorade,” Jordan advises the legion of Pinoy athletes.

And everybody knows, when Jordan speaks, you listen.

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The return of Air Jordan 15

Lifestyle

When Michael Jordan announced his retirement for the second time many thought his signature shoe line would end.

But Tinker Hatfield continued it with the Air Jordan XV — a design inspired by the North American X-15, a rocket plane used by the United States Air Force and NASA back in the 1960s.

Titan now brings back the Air Jordan 15 Retro OG ‘Stealth’ — “arriving dressed in black with accents and branded hits set in varsity red.”

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It will be available in all Titan stores and www.titan22.com on January 7 for a retail price of P9,445.

For more details on the release, follow Titan on Instagram (@titan_22) and Titan 22 Basketball on Facebook.

Memorable moments from the NBA on Christmas Day

Sports

The NBA began playing games on Christmas Day in 1947. This year marks the 69th time with NBA games on the holiday. Here is a look at some memorable moments from NBA Christmases past.

1961

Wilt Chamberlain scored 59 points and grabbed 36 rebounds but his Philadelphia Warriors lost to the New York Knicks 136-135 in double overtime. The rebounding total remains a Christmas record and the scoring total was a Christmas record for 23 years.

1972

Nate “Tiny” Archibald of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings equaled a Christmas Day record with 18 assists in a 104-99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972. Archibald’s performance was part of a season in which he became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and assists. The Hall of Famer remains the only player to accomplish the feat, but Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Harden of the Houston Rockets rank among the league leaders in both categories this season. Westbrook will play against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day this year.

1984

The greatest individual scoring performance in Christmas Day history came in 1984, when Hall of Fame forward Bernard King of the New York Knicks scored 60 points in a 120-114 loss to the New Jersey Nets. King became the third player to score at least 50 points on Christmas, joining Wilt Chamberlain (59 points in 1961) and Rick Barry (50 points in 1966).

1985

Rookie Patrick Ewing (32 points, 11 rebounds) and the New York Knicks rallied from a 25-point deficit to stun the mighty Boston Celtics 113-104 in double overtime. This was a massive upset as the rebuilding Knicks finished the season 23-59 under current ESPN analyst Hubie Brown and the Celtics went 67-15 en route to winning the NBA championship. New York and Boston will meet on Christmas Day this year.

1986

Patrick Ewing’s put-back at the buzzer gave the New York Knicks an 86-85 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan scored 30 points in his first Christmas Day appearance.

1994

With Michael Jordan in retirement, Scottie Pippen powered the Chicago Bulls to a 107-104 overtime win against the New York Knicks. Pippen played all 53 minutes and had 36 points, 16 rebounds and five steals. He scored all seven of Chicago’s points in overtime and blocked two last-second shots to seal the victory.

1995

For the first time in NBA history, the teams from the previous season’s Finals met on Christmas Day the next season. Penny Hardaway scored 22 points, including the game-winning shot with three seconds left, as the Orlando Magic defeated the defending champion Houston Rockets 92-90. In a matchup of star centers, Orlando’s Shaquille O’Neal had 22 points, 18 rebounds and five assists and Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon notched 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

2003

Tracy McGrady outdueled rookie phenom LeBron James to lead the Orlando Magic past the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-101 in overtime. McGrady finished with 41 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. James dazzled in his Christmas Day debut, finishing with 34 points and six assists.

2004

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal meet for the first time since Shaq’s trade to the Miami Heat the previous offseason. The matchup lived up to expectations as the Heat extended its winning streak to 11 games with a 104-102 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, overcoming Bryant’s 42 points behind double-doubles from O’Neal (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Dwyane Wade (29 points, 10 assists).

2008

In a rematch of the previous season’s Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the defending champion Boston Celtics’ 19-game winning streak with a 92-83 victory. Phil Jackson recorded his 1,000th victory, the sixth coach at the time to reach the milestone.

2010

In his first Christmas Day game with the Miami Heat, LeBron James recorded a triple-double of 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 96-80 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. James is one of five players with a triple-double on Christmas Day, along with Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, Billy Cunningham and Russell Westbrook.

Photo from Complex.com

Payton thinks guarding Stockton is tougher than guarding Jordan

Sports

Gary Payton, who’s popular for his playing days with the Seattle Supersonics, is in the Philippines for the opening of the NBA Store in Cebu City.

Payton was one of my favorite NBA players growing up. I really admired the way he approached the game. He was a two-way player that had swag even before the word “swag” became mainstream.

As a kid, I emulated his playing style — pushing myself to focus, not only on offense, but on defense as well. I took pride locking opponents down. I tried to swipe the ball every chance I got. I was small, but fast. So I knew I had to use my quickness to my advantage.

It was simple for me – I get a steal, it’s an automatic fastbreak layup for me. Easiest two points in the world. I used defense to get points the easiest and best way I can. And that’s all because of Gary Payton.

(Another reason why I rooted for him is because I loved how those Sonics jerseys looked like.)

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Back to the story. When I received an invite for the event at NBA Store Glorietta, I was ecstatic. Gary Payton, man. I didn’t get the chance to meet or talk to him personally during his first two visits here, so I made sure I didn’t let this opportunity pass me by again.

I went there to cover for Sports Illustrated Philippines, so I knew I was going to get the chance to interview him.

I was a bit nervous. I mean I only used to watch this dude on television when I was a kid. I watched Payton talk to the other interviewers as we were waiting for our turn. He was pretty candid, and felt relaxed. He acted like… Gary Payton. This made me calm. When it was my turn to ask the questions him, everything went smoothly. Easy. Like a layup in transition after a steal.

I asked him about today’s NBA game and what he feels about all these offensive-minded guards. I brought up the fact that he’s been making efforts to bring an NBA team back to the city of Seattle, and I asked him – if Seattle did get the Sonics back – which current players would he put in the Sonics’ starting five. (He answered: PG – Chris Paul, SG – Steph Curry, SF – LeBron James, PF – Kevin Durant, C – Karl-Anthony Towns)

But the interesting answer came when I asked him to explain why he thinks guarding John Stockton was more difficult than defending Michael Jordan.

This is what he told me:

“Because (when) you think about it, John Stockton had the ball 90% of the time, Michael Jordan didn’t. Michael Jordan would run down and get to his spot, but you have John Stockton who’s bringing the ball up, coming off picks, doing things. You gotta guard him ‘cause he’s cutting, back picking, he’s doing a lot of things. A guy who probably only shot the ball 12 or 13 times, guess how many he made? About nine or 10. Then he goes to the free throw line… if he shot seven or eight free throws, how many is he going to make… about seven or eight free throws. Then you wind up looking at how many assists he have, 15, then all of a sudden how many rebounds does he have, six or five. Then all of a sudden what you say? Next category he got four or five steals. So, look, and he’s the all-time leader in assists in the NBA and the all-time leader in steals in the NBA. So who do you think you would want to guard every night? You look at him all the time, you couldn’t turn your head. Michael Jordan would take a break sometimes. He wouldn’t.”

You can watch the interview here: