Jamie Malonzo got there early, one of the first players to arrive.
asserted
Malonzo → get → players
He knew this was a different thing altogether.
asserted
this → know → ?
He knew the 55,000-capacity Philippine Arena was something else.
asserted
Arena → know → ?
As Malonzo warmed up, the crowd began to file into the stands for Game 7 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
asserted
crowd → warm → Cup
Fans tried to get his attention, yelling and waving their arms madly.
asserted
Fans → try → arms
This game, Malonzo knew, would be unlike any other he had ever played in.
asserted
he → know → other
“For me, warming up in there was not about trying to warm up my body.
asserted
warming → warm → body
It was more about practicing cancelling out the outside noise – it was like practicing a different part of your brain,” the Seattle-born forward says of the game in January 2023.
asserted
forward → practice → January
When the game started, things didn’t get any easier.
asserted
things → start → ?
“It was definitely hard to hear,” the 30-year-old says.
asserted
old → hear → ?
“I remember that being a problem.”
asserted
that → remember → ?
In fact, Malonzo and his team had to invent hand signals to combat the fan volume.
asserted
Malonzo → have → volume
“When you were on the court and you look up and you see these people way, way, way, way, up there in the upper bleachers cheering – it was crazy,” he says.
asserted
he → look → bleachers
Today, most professional basketball arenas seat between 10,000 and 20,000 people.
asserted
arenas → seat → people
The Philippine Arena seats nearly three times that.
asserted
Arena → seat → that
(The KJC King Dome in Davao City opened on 1 September, also in the Philippines, and holds a whopping 75,000 people.)
asserted
Dome → open → people
“In other places, soccer is the biggest sport,” says Malonzo, whose mother was born in the Philippines and moved to Seattle as an adult.
asserted
mother → say → adult
“But that same enthusiasm other places have around the world for soccer is equaled in the Philippines for basketball.”
While Malonzo now plays in Japan, he spent four years playing in the Philippines.
asserted
he → have → Philippines
There, he saw it all.
asserted
he → see → it
“If you look at the poorest streets of the Philippines, if you look at the richest streets,” Malonzo says, “anywhere from the poorest to the richest area codes – you’re always going to see a basketball hoop kids can play on.”
asserted
kids → look → hoop
Basketball started to grow in the Philippines during the American colonial period in the early 1900s.
asserted
Basketball → start → 1900s
Founded in 1975, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) was Asia’s first pro basketball league.
asserted
Association → found → 1975
It has hardcore fans, brilliantly named teams – from the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters – and very specific rules: for example, certain competitions limit the height of foreign players.
asserted
competitions → have → players
The national team has also recently featured several acclaimed NBA players, including former NBA sixth man of the year Jordan Clarkson.
asserted
team → feature → Clarkson
Malonzo found success in the league, perhaps most notably in that raucous Game 7 in 2023, when he scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, earning the Best Player of the Game nod.
asserted
he → find → nod
“I’m pretty familiar with the place,” Malonzo says, with a laugh.
asserted
Malonzo → ’m → laugh
“It was the arena I won my first championship in the Philippines, which meant a lot for me.”
asserted
which → win → me
Originally slated for 13 January, that particular Game 7 was pushed back two days because of demand for tickets, and it ended up being the most attended PBA game in history.
asserted
it → slat → history
Malonzo’s Barangay Ginebra San Miguel beat Bay Area Dragons – a guest team from Hong Kong that season – 114-99 in front of 54,589 people.
asserted
Miguel → beat → people
The game broke the previous PBA record of 54,086 fans, set six years prior.
asserted
game → break → fans
“It was for sure nerve-wracking,” Malonzo says.
asserted
Malonzo → say → ?
“When you think about how many people are there watching you – it’s so intense.
asserted
it → think → you
Any little movement you make is noticed by that many fans.”
asserted
you → make → fans
The O’Dea High School graduate, who was taken second overall in the 2020 PBA draft out of college, says it took time to adjust to the tens of thousands watching.
asserted
it → take → thousands
“It just took a few good plays to settle in, to kind of get comfortable,” he says.
asserted
he → take → plays
Soon, though, he realized most of the fans were cheering for his team.
asserted
most → realize → team
They wanted the team from Hong Kong, who boasted two former NBA players, to go down hard.
asserted
who → want → players
And go down hard they did.
asserted
they → go → ?
“When you realize the fans are with you and cheering you, it makes it special, for sure,” Malonzo says.
asserted
Malonzo → realize → you
“It was really important that we got the win in front of our crowd.
asserted
we → get → crowd
…and 30 more, not listed.
The Aporia
