By Andy Leuterio / Special to Health&Fitness, Photo by Iking Dalusong
KOBE PARAS has his work cut out for him, and he knows it. Only 17-years old (turning 18 this July), the 3×3 International Basketball Federation slam-dunk champion can feel the weight of a country on his shoulders as he heads off to the US for another year at Cathedral School with the “Phantom” squad. How high can this Paras fly? No one knows as of now, but he, of all people, should know that he has big shoes to fill.
His father, after all, was one of the most electrifying players during his time. The only Philippine Basketball Association player to net both Rookie of the Year and MVP titles in a single season (1989), “The Tower of Power” Benjie Paras led the Shell Turbo Chargers to championship titles in 1990 and 1992, as well as garnering a long list of awards and accolades.
Yet, for all that history behind him, Benjie and Kobe admit that theirs is not a traditional “stage dad/coach” relationship. While Benjie is careful to guide his son along the many twists and turns of youthful adulthood, he takes care not to be the stereotypical dad coaching his son from the sidelines. “My dad always says, listen to your coach,” Kobe says. In his case, that is William Middlebrooks, who has been coaching the school team for many years.
Life at a high-school basketball team isn’t the dream everyone thinks it is. “Life in the States [US] is crazy. It’s all basketball and studies. I wake up, eat, go to school, train. We also go to study hall. We practice twice a day, for about two to four hours everyday, seven days a week. There are no rest days,” Kobe shares. “People think my lifestyle is the dream, but it’s not. There’s a lot of sacrifice, but I know it will all be worth it.”
It wasn’t always like that for Kobe. In fact, Benjie says, “I didn’t even introduce him to basketball. He had friends who played so he just joined them.”
“The first time I really played was in the third grade. I wasn’t good at all! I just did it as a hobby. When I was in the sixth and seventh grade that’s when I realized I was actually good at basketball, so I kept asking my dad and my coaches what could I do to improve,” Kobe narrates.
Seeing his potential, Benjie transferred him to a school that was serious about basketball. “I just taught him a little shooting and dribbling, but more on skills. Then I told him to listen to the coach. As a player, you should be coachable.”
Things started moving quickly for Kobe at that point. “What happened is that I never realized it would be that difficult or intense. It was really crazy once I started focusing on basketball. In my second year I was playing for De La Salle Greenhills and our team was actually good, so I was surprised that I could do something for the team. Then I went to Los Angeles, USA, knowing the state has one of the best programs for sport. I’m just really glad I could go there to play”, Kobe says.
With the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins on the horizon, does he feel the growing pressure to be the first Filipino to make it all the way to the National Basketball Association?
“People always ask if I feel pressure, but honestly I don’t. I matured when I was so young, and I’m taking it one day at a time. I want to be original,” he says.
“I’ve been judged my whole life, but now I can prove everyone wrong. I don’t want people to just say, ‘Oh, that’s Benjie Paras’ son.’ I want them to say, ‘that’s Kobe Paras,, he adds.
And like his dad taught him, he is going to give everything to make his dream come true. “Like my dad taught me, if you want to be something you have to focus on it. You don’t just wish for it. I’m going to make my own name”, he declares.
That is something the father can be proud of, because by his own admission, Kobe is better than him. “He is way better than me. First, we play different positions. I’m a big man so I can’t control the ball. He’s always handling the ball and distributing it. He’s more agile, faster, and he can shoot from the outside. He can do anything”, says Benjie.
Yet if Benjie tells his son to just trust the coaches, he’s always there to listen whenever the son calls for a post-game pep talk. “I don’t even go to his games kasi kahit papaano may pressure iyon kapag makita ka niyang nanonood”, he laughs. “Instead I might go to the coliseum, but watch from outside”, he shares.
“He opens up every time after a game. He might text me ‘Dad, I didn’t play well. Nakaka-frustrate. So I ask him what happened and tell him to try and find a way to help his team in other ways”, Benjie says.
Getting the two to talk about life outside of basketball is difficult, because the two live and breathe it. Still, in their free time “we go out and eat or watch movies,” shares Benjie. “When we’re at home we watch the NBA or the National Collegiate Athletic Association games,” they laugh. The two have the same taste in gear, although Kobe prefers low-cut shoes like the Under Armour Clutch Fit. Both father and son have the same size shoe: 14.
Predictably, the recent NBA Finals were riveting for the two. “Steph Curry and GSW really deserved to win, and LeBron had to do everything by himself,” Kobe opines.
As Kobe embarks on yet another year in his basketball journey, one can only wish him the best of luck in one of the most competitive sports arenas in the world. He has the skill and the maturity, but more important, the confidence that his father has his back.