Introducing: Hoops Paradise: The Philippines’ Love of the Game

Episode 1 - Welcome to Paradise

In 1998, while a young Cassidy Hubbarth sat next to her mother on their couch in Chicago, yelling at the TV as the Bulls went for their second three-peat, Nikko Ramos was playing at recess in Manila, eagerly waiting for updates from “recess runners” who darted between the canteen and a payphone to …

Episode 2 - Hoop Origins

What if I told you the 'skyhook' actually originated in the Philippines? Okay, that one might not be true... but what if?  Only ten years after James Naismith hung two peach baskets and refereed the first game of basketball, there were already reports of American soldiers introducing the sport to …

Episode 3 - American Imports

There are a couple major differences between the NBA and the world’s second oldest pro basketball league, the Philippine Basketball Association (otherwise known as the PBA). For one, the PBA season never really stops. Three back-to-back conferences stretch throughout the year, with the major differ…

Episode 4 - The NBA in Manila

In 1979, the Washington Bullets visited Manila for a game against a selection of PBA players, marking the first official visit from NBA players to the Philippines. Since then, a number of players have visited, both for NBA-sponsored games and events, like the Houston Rockets v Indiana Pacers 2013 p…

Episode 5 - The NBA Dream

In 1978, the Golden State Warriors drafted 6'3" guard Raymond Townsend, the first Filipino-American in the NBA. Since then, the Utah Jazz's Jordan Clarkson and the Houston Rockets' Jalen Green have carried the torch, representing the NBA dream to Filipinos around the world. In this episode, ESPN's …

Episode 6 - Born and Raised

In the final episode of the series, Cassidy and Nikko are joined by PBA legend and current Assistant Coach for the NBA G League's Stockton Kings, as well as ESPN and Meadowlark's Pablo Torre, to discuss what it would mean for the first born and raised Filipino player to make it to the NBA.  Thank …