Holding court with Avery Johnson, Robin Lopez, and Wesley Matthews

In recent years, the NBA has sent representatives to the Philippines on a regular basis in line with its various activities primarily meant to promote the game of basketball (3X3, Junior NBA) and to help in its global social responsibility program, NBA Cares.

This time, the league sent former NBA player with the San Antonio Spurs and former NBA Head Coach with the Dallas Mavericks and NJ/Brooklyn Nets, “The Little General” Avery Johnson, and current Portland Trailblazers center Robin Lopez and guard/forward Wesley Matthews. 

The three gentlemen are in town to conduct a basketball clinic on September 11 and to do some community work in Northern Cebu on September 12, hand in hand with World Vision Philippines, for the benefit of our countrymen affected there by Typhoon Yolanda several months back. There will also be some activities at the Glorietta in Makati City on 13 and 14 September to announce the opening of the first NBA Store in the Philippines.

Johnson, Lopez and Matthews met some members of the local press at the NBA Cafe at SM Aura in Taguig City, in order to share their thoughts on many topics.  I had the privilege to speak with all three of them as part of a panel of sportswriters.

Lopez, in Bermuda shorts and wearing a fisherman’s hat, when asked about the different advocacies he has outside of basketball, including promoting literacy, gave all the credit for his community service to his family, particularly his mother.  He credited her with teaching him proper work ethic and for appreciating what he has, and sharing with others. “There are many great mothers in the NBA (community), but I’d have to say, mine is the best!” he said.

About playing for the Blazers, Lopez believes that his team will contend for the NBA championship, saying that it would be foolish for any team not to believe it has a chance to win it all. He called the Portland fans “the best fans around, and definitely the loudest”, and expressed his gratitude for their all-out support.

Lopez acknowledged his closeness to his twin brother, Brook, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets and was a Manila visitor in 2013. According to Robin, Brook intends to visit the Philippines again. Robin said Brook is now injury-free and “ready to go” for the upcoming season. He is glad however, that Brook plays in the East and that he does not need to face his brother often because of that.  Lopez also said that in the current FIBA World Cup, he knows how well Gilas Pilipinas competed, but that he does not watch too much basketball in the offseason, although he expects Team USA to vie for the title against really tough competition.

Coach Avery was a very fiery interviewee. He answered questions with great conviction, with a loud voice emphasizing the accent NBA fans have come to be familiar with after having heard him in interviews through the years, both as a player and a coach. He thinks he was born to lead. He was taught discipline and hard work at a very young age and believes one has to lead by example; thus, throughout his playing career, he would show his teammates the importance of both by always being at practice, coming early, leaving late, and just giving his all. Johnson said he heard how passionate the basketball fans are in the Philippines and that on the plane ride coming over, he “took so many pictures” with the knowledgeable Filipino hoops fans on board.

The San Antonio Spurs retired Johnson’s number 6 and he will always be best-remembered for hitting what proved to be the winning shot in the title-clinching game of the 1999 NBA Finals.  I asked him his thoughts on the Spurs winning another title fifteen years later and he immediately let out a big smile. The important thing, he said, is that the core values and philosophies the team had back in ’99 are still present in the current players.  Coach Greg Popovich obviously had to tweak certain things to conform to the available talent on the roster, but overall, the winning attitude never left. He said the Spurs should still be considered the favorites to win it all next season.

As for several point guards being named head coaches in the NBA, Johnson believes that the natural progression of a point guard, who is the “coach on the floor” and an “extension of the coach”, is to go into to coaching. They always lead the team on the floor and make coaching decisions in split seconds anyway, and are, more often than not, genuinely interested in pursuing coaching careers after all the extra time they put in learning and executing the plays during their careers. Johnson also said that, in contrast, many big men just leave the game completely after their playing days are over.

When asked what was more important, the size of a person or the size of his heart, Johnson said that each person has to have that “engine” inside and told a story of a man wanting to buy a car.  Two cars of the same model were placed side by side, but one had a flat tire.  The man bought the car with all tires intact.  What he did not know, though, is that the engine of that car was defective. “The other car’s tire, you could still fill with air,” he said.  The car with a bad engine, though, would never work well. 

“You need to look at what’s inside,” said Johnson.

Matthews, whose father Wes, a guard on the back-to-back NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers in 1987 and 1988, played for PBA crowd favorite Ginebra San Miguel after his NBA career, echoed Lopez’s thoughts about the Portland fans and said he loves playing in front of them. He was undrafted coming out of college in 2009, yet made it on the Utah Jazz roster that year. He felt upset when he was not drafted, but considered himself the underdog all his life, so he kept working. Earlier in his career, he always wanted to prove doubters wrong, but realized that you can never please everybody, and decided to just work hard “to get better every day.” 

He is excited with the current group of players on the Blazers and prides himself as the defensive stopper, the guy who guards the other team’s best player, and relishes the role.

I mentioned certain names to Matthews, and asked him to respond with the first thing he thought of.  “(Blazer Head Coach) Terry Stotts.” He replied, “offensive coach.”  “Robin Lopez.” – “Hard worker.”  “LMA, Lamarcus Aldridge.” – “Problem (for the other team).”  “Damian Lillard.” – “Also a problem.”  “Nicolas Batum.” – “Toolbox.  He can do so many things.”  “Rip City (Portland and its fans).” – “A movement.”

All three men shared their thoughts on the NBA Cares activity they will be doing in Cebu later this week.  Johnson, a New Orleans native who saw the devastation there brought about by many storms in the past, including Hurricane Katrina, was excited to just be able to help. He spoke of the NBA as being such a great organization that does not merely focus on basketball, but makes itself socially relevant by conducting activities in line with the NBA Cares program, emphasizing on the need to give back to the community, and to keep giving.

Lopez said he feels very fortunate to be in the situation where he can try to make other people who have undoubtedly suffered a lot happy, at least for a while. Matthews hopes they can serve “as a distraction” to those suffering, to make them forget the hardship they are under.  He said he is very excited to be able to reach out and help in some little way.

The Philippines has been very fortunate to be a destination of choice for NBA activities.  It is not always just about basketball. The NBA indeed touches lives in many ways.

You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.