MANILA – Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker recognizes and appreciates the love and passion of Filipinos for basketball, something he experienced firsthand during his last visit to the country in 2016.
Despite the country being known as basketball-crazy and having produced several cagers who play overseas, no homegrown or local player has entered the NBA.
Several local players have tried to make the NBA leap, including Ray Parks Jr., who played in the D-League, and Japeth Aguilar, who was drafted into the D-League.
Kai Sotto was not selected in the 2022 NBA Draft, despite working out with several teams.
The closest would be Filipino-American players who have entered the league, highlighted by Jordan Clarkson, the first-ever Fil-Am to win an NBA championship.
Parker believes it's more of a question of when the feat will turn into a reality.
"The Philippines is getting better and better. I think it's just a matter of time that you get a player who's going to be great in the NBA and be an all-star. Around the world, basketball, everybody's getting better and better," Parker said during the media availability on Thursday ahead of the NBA House Philippines this weekend.
"I think the passion that you have for this game, I think it's just a matter of time that you get somebody coming in and make the Philippines great and bring your country to the Olympics. You just have to be patient, but it will come," he added.
The French basketball player got to face Gilas Pilipinas in the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where they beat the Nationals by nine points.
"It was a great game. I remember the atmosphere, the energy. It was amazing. It was my first time in the Philippines. I always told you guys, in social media, the number one country that follows me is the Philippines," Parker said.
"It's crazy. Everywhere I go in the world, if I see a crazy fan coming, I know he's from the Philippines. They love basketball. That's why I love it. That's why I love coming here. I remember that game was amazing," he added.
Parker highlighted the efforts of the league to develop the game across the world.
"The NBA is doing a great job to grow the game around the world, having academies around the world and spreading the knowledge and having coaches everywhere for kids to get better," he said.
Parker reflected on his time in the NBA, when there were not many players from Europe when he entered the league in 2001.
The French basketball player knows firsthand of what it is like to come from a country with little NBA representation and breakthrough into the league.
"I think they should keep dreaming big. You know, the rest of the world, everybody is improving, and I think it's just a matter of time that we have a super guard from the Philippines," he emphasized.
Parker is back in the Philippines after 10 years, alongside NBA champion and fellow Hall of Famer Jason Kidd and WNBA champion Lauren Jackson for NBA House Philippines.
The first edition of NBA House Philippines will be held from August 29 to 30 at SPACE at One Ayala in Makati City.