By Agence France-Presse

Injured NBA superstar Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets says it’s “hard to keep going right now” as he mourns the death of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

Bryant died Sunday at age 41 in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles, sending devastated NBA players and fans into grieving the loss of one of the game’s most iconic superstars.

“It’s hard to keep going right now,” Durant said. “But as a basketball community, as a world as a whole, I know we’re all just mourning and sticking together when it comes to this.”

Durant, who was the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the Golden State Warriors in their 2017 and 2018 championship runs, suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in last year’s NBA Finals for the Warriors and, after leaving for the Nets in the off-season, will miss the entire 2019-20 campaign while recovering.

“It’s still hard to process this,” Durant said. “It’s a tragedy. It has made so many people in the world so sad.”

Asked how best to pay tribute to five-time NBA champion and 18-time NBA All-Star Bryant, Durant said that would mean “every basketball player go out there and play as hard as they can every night.”

But Durant admitted: “It feels like nothing will ever be big enough to truly honor Kobe Bryant.”

Durant was the second pick of the 2007 NBA Draft and had a full-court view of Bryant at the peak of his powers, leading the Lakers into the finals from 2007-2009 and taking titles the last two of those runs.

In all, Durant faced Bryant 25 times in regular-season games and split two playoff meetings while with the Seattle-Oklahoma City franchise.

Bryant and Durant were teammates on the US gold medal team at the 2012 London Olympics.

“Having an opportunity to compete against Kobe and be around him in the human space was a joy, and those emotions start coming out at once,” Durant said.

“It’s hard to comprehend all of this. Having that time and those moments with Kobe it was always about pressing forward and I think at this time it’s so hard to do so with just the amount of impact he had on all of us.

“As a competitor you hated playing against him. As a person you loved being around him.”

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie said he will give up jersey number 8, one of the numbers used by Bryant in his Lakers’ career, and now wear 26.

Orlando guard Terrence Ross also said he will give up 8 for 31, the number he used until switching this season.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

A shattered Shaquille O’Neal says his relationship with Kobe Bryant was like brotherhood, from their epic split after three NBA titles together to mutual respect and love after tensions healed.

Shaquille O’Neal, left, says he and former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, right, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday, were “the best duo ever created” in the NBA, having won three titles together before a 2004 split (AFP Photo/LUCY NICHOLSON)

Bryant died Sunday aged 41 in a helicopter crash, a shocking loss that has left his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate O’Neal sleepless, unable to eat and watching 20-year-old video highlights of their heyday.

“We still are the best duo ever created. That’s never going to change,” O’Neal said on his social media outlet “The Big Podcast.”

“I’m not doing well. I haven’t eaten. I haven’t slept. I’m looking at all the tapes. I’m sick right now.

“This is going to hurt a long time. I have a little brother, but I really lost a brother.”

With “Shaq” the overpowering center and Bryant a deadly sharpshooting guard, the Lakers captured NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

“Not only did we win three, we dominated three,” O’Neal said. “It wasn’t even close.”

But seeds of discontent grew with their success. O’Neal arrived in 2000-01 training camp out of shape while Bryant had worked hard in the off-season and was unhappy “Shaq” hadn’t shown similar resolve.

In 2003, as Bryant contested rape charges that were later dropped, O’Neal suggested Kobe needed to pass more often. Bryant reportedly said he should have paid off women to keep silent about encounters the way O’Neal did.

Each player so vital to the Lakers’ domination sought credit as the most crucial of the duo and the magic was gone, LA losing to Detroit in the 2004 NBA Finals.

“In the fourth (final), things happened. People were hurt. People were out. We didn’t pull it off,” O’Neal said. “Changes had to be made.”

O’Neal demanded a trade and was sent to Miami. A day later, free agent Bryant re-signed with the Lakers.

“Everything that happened happened,” O’Neal said. “A lot of people like to look at the negative side but I think (people) understand this as a Laker fan, the plan worked out perfectly. We won three in a row.

“It would have been a more horrific story if we didn’t win any.”

‘What if?’ haunts Shaq
“Shaq” won the 2006 crown with Miami, teaming with star guard Dwyane Wade. Bryant would surpass him in career crowns by sparking the Lakers to titles in 2009 and 2010.

“Just one more than Shaq,” Bryant said when asked what his fifth title meant to him.

O’Neal retired in 2011 and Bryant in 2016 and time helped heal the split, “Shaq” calling Bryant “the greatest Laker ever” with Kobe saying in 2013 they had developed “mutual respect” and a “really good relationship.”

“Our relationship was that of brothers,” O’Neal said. “All this stuff that is documented between us, it was never a dislike. This is what brothers do.

“I have a brother. We fight all the time but I love him. I love Kobe Bryant (the same way).

“I’m the first to say, ‘Hey, I got four rings and I know I couldn’t get three without him.’”

“Shaq” will never know how many he and Bryant could have won had they stayed together like such prior Laker duos as Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West or Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“Sometimes when competition comes — the competitive edge, you know — I’m glad we became closer,” O’Neal said. “But I just sit back and say what if?”

‘Hurt for a long time’
Even with the mended relationship, O’Neal has some regrets.

“I wish we would have communicated more. But that’s just how we are,” O’Neal said. “When we saw each other it was love and respect… Just wish I could have sat and talked to him before.”

In the meantime, “Shaq” has memories of past glories such as when Bryant jumped into his arms in the seconds after they captured their first NBA titles back in 2000.

“I ain’t going to get no sleep for a while. Just been sitting up watching old highlights,” O’Neal said. “Even if I just wanted to cry and get away from it, I couldn’t.”

O’Neal wants to be sure more unspoken words aren’t left unsaid to others in the wake of Bryant’s death.

“You don’t really know how long you have left,” O’Neal said. “I’m all about being hard and all that but… I’m going to have to delete my beef and my confrontation clause. I don’t want to do that any more.

“I guess I just call all the people I’ve had discrepancies with and say, ‘Look man, I love you.’

“This one is going to hurt for a long, long time. I wish he was here. I wish I could say something to him.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Rescuers recovered the bodies of all nine victims from a helicopter crash near Los Angeles that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, the coroner’s office said Tuesday.

Three bodies were retrieved from the scattered wreckage by a special response team Sunday — the day of the crash. The remaining six were located as the search resumed in rugged terrain Monday, it said.

The remains were “removed from the crash site and transported to the department’s forensic science center” for examination and identification, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said in a statement.

Bryant, 41, was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers and crew when the Sikorsky S-76 slammed into a rugged hillside in thick fog in Calabasas, northwest of LA.

There were no survivors.

Investigators are “actively working on” identifying the individual remains before officially notifying next of kin.

A five-time NBA champion for his only team, the LA Lakers, and a double Olympic gold medalist, Bryant was widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history.

He was traveling on his private helicopter from Orange County, where he lived, to his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks where his daughter was set to play.

Investigators are set to remain at the site of the crash throughout the week to collect evidence, hoping to find clues to what caused the accident that stunned the world.

Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, described the accident scene as “pretty devastating,” with wreckage spread across about 600 feet (180 meters).

Mourning fans on Tuesday placed bouquets of flowers at a makeshift memorial outside the gated community in Newport Beach, south of Los Angeles, where the late NBA great lived.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

There were plenty of long pauses at the other end of the line as Kat Tan tried to gather thoughts on the sudden passing of her idol Kobe Bryant.

“We just all wish that it’s a bad dream right now,” Tan told the Bulletin Monday afternoon from Bacolod City where she was scheduled to make a speaking engagement.

For Tan, Bryant was more than just a basketball idol. Bryant was an inspiration at a time when she had to deal with adversity at an early age.

It was 1996 when Tan, then a nine-year-old student, lost her left arm during an accident at a school fair in La Salle-Zobel. While recovering, she began to watch NBA games of Bryant, who at the time was a wide-eyed 17-year-old rookie for the Los Angeles Lakers.

“The year the accident happened, it was his rookie year,” she recalled. “I was in the hospital and that was the first time I started watching him. He’s still not the Kobe Bryant that he was, but you know there’s something in him that I saw something special.”

Motivated, Tan was able to defy the odds, earning a spot on La Salle-Zobel’s varsity team. She also got a chance to meet Bryant two years after the accident when the latter made his first Manila visit.

Tan would play varsity until high school before shifting focus on her collegiate studies at College of St. Benilde, Now 33, Tan works as a junior graphic designer at Zobel while continuing to follow Bryant’s record feats and winning moments.

“He is a part of who I am today, of my story,” said Tan, who met Bryant two more times, including a moment where the NBA great signed a framed newspaper article of their 1998 encounter.

“I know we’re not that close, but can you imagine the impact that he had in my life,” said Tan. “It’s hard.”

By the time this article is posted, Tan has probably concluded her motivational speech. Before hanging up, she admitted that it would difficult to “keep it together” in order to tell her story.

But Tan knows Bryant will be there to guide her.

“I don’t know how will I do it but bahala na si Kobe sa akin,” she said.

The risk was worth the reward

Kevin Alas had one goal in mind during Kobe Bryant’s visit in 2013.

That year marked Bryant’s sixth trip to the country, this time to promote an android smartphone. Alas, then a member of the Gilas Pilipinas Cadets squad, not only came to the event wearing a pair of Kobe 8s but also brought along a pen with hopes of having Bryant sign his footwear.

Meeting Bryant was the easy part. Making him sign the shoes was the hard part.

“I remember the bouncer saying na bawal daw magpapirma,” said Alas, who now plays for NLEX in the PBA. “But going into the event, may dala na talaga ako na pen.

When it was his chance to meet Bryant, Alas pulled out his pen despite the risk of being scolded by security, or worse, being turned down by his idol.

“When it was my turn to meet, I handed him the pen and said ‘Hey Kobe, can you sign my shoe? Sabi niya ‘Sure’ and ‘Wow, you’re wearing the Mambacurial (colorway).’”

Alas left the event with a wide grin, glad to have broken protocol.

“One of my happiest days as a basketball player because I got to meet my ultimate idol,” Alas said. “I didn’t listen to the security people because meeting Kobe was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I would’ve regretted it if I listened to them.”

News of Bryant’s death stunned Alas as he woke up Monday morning, prompting him to post a tribute along with the photo of that memorable day.

“A very sad day,” he said. “To my childhood idol, thank you for being an inspiration to me and to the whole basketball world. You are the GOAT in my book. Rest in peace, Mamba.”

For one night, Kobe was ‘King Tamaraw’

Bert Flores had a simple wish when Kobe Bryant returned to Manila in 2011.

“Ang balak ko sana papapirmahin sa kanya yung jersey,” said Flores, who at the time was coach of the Far Eastern University men’s basketball team.

Flores went to the Smart Araneta Coliseum for the big event with a gold FEU jersey. His hope was to have the jersey put on display at the school’s athletic office in Morayta once Bryant puts an ink on it.

It turned out that Flores and FEU got more than what they bargained for.

The Big Dome event featured a game between stars from the UAAP and Gilas Pilipinas and Bryant, who watched from the sidelines, decided to join the fun.

The problem, though, the NBA great had no jersey to wear. So, Flores handed the FEU jersey, which Bryant gladly took.

FEU had previously gifted past NBA visitors like Vince Carter and Paul Pierce with Tamaraw jerseys. But this one was different.

For one night, Bryant was “King Tamaraw” as he showcased his skills much to the amazement of the crowd, leading the UAAP team to victory over Gilas in the exhibition game.

Photos of Bryant in an FEU jersey came out in newspapers and tabloids the following day, much to the delight of Flores and school officials.

“Swerte din,” said Flores. “Suot-suot niya talaga. Kala niya Lakers.”

Flores, who now serves as the school’s women’s basketball coach, joked that Bryant’s appearance in an FEU uniform brought a lot of attention to the university.

“Maraming nagtatanong kung saan siya nag-college,” he said. “Sabi ko sa FEU yan nag-college.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

The one-month postponement of the Asia-Oceania Olympic boxing qualifier owing to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak only proved beneficial for the Philippine boxing team.

Head coach Pat Gaspi told the Manila Bulletin on Tuesday that the scrapping of the Wuhan slugfest originally scheduled Feb. 3 to 14 would give the boxers additional time to prime themselves up for the opposition in Amman, Jordan.

The Amman boxfest takes place March 3-11 with the Philippines fielding 11 fighters, including standouts from last year’s world championships and Southeast Asian Games (SEAG).

Gaspi admitted that the postponement was a plus for the Filipino boxers since the Christmas holidays had some effect in the buildup.

Although the boxers reported back to training camp in the third week of December after a successful campaign in the SEAG, the atmosphere wasn’t conducive to training.

Now, there is a plan for the boxers to head back to Thailand where they spent three weeks this month, according to Gaspi.

“About five countries getting ready for the Olympic qualifiers are there as well and that’s going to give our fighters opportunities to have quality work (sparring),” he said.

Gaspi said the Azerbaijan squad is still in Thailand alongside bets from New Zealand.

“Azerbaijan has a strong team,” Gaspi added.

The Amman event is just one of two tournaments where fighters from Asia-Oceania and other regions can secure berths to the July 24-Aug. 9 Tokyo Olympics.

The last chance for those who won’t advance in the continental qualifiers will be the World Qualifying that will be hosted by Paris from May 13-24.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

A straight sets defeat at the hands of Sofia Kenin on Tuesday was hardly the script that Ons Jabeur deserved but the Tunisian’s passage to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open is already one of the stories of the tournament.

The 25-year-old, who will break into the world’s top 50 after this run, saw off Johanna Konta and Caroline Garcia before putting an end to former champion Caroline Wozniacki’s glittering career.

Victory over Wang Qiang in the fourth round made Jabeur the first player from the Arab world ever to reach the last eight of a Grand Slam in the Open era.

“I think I proved that I can be in the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam, even if I have a lot of things to improve, probably physically and mentally some stuff, for sure,” Jabeur said after her 6-4 6-4 defeat to Kenin.

“I proved to myself that I could do a lot of great things. I’m happy that I played this way. I know sometimes I’m hard on myself, but I think I could do better, especially with the moments where it’s kind of tough and stressful.

“With more experience, I will be able to handle the pressure better.”

Her exploits went further than the established tennis world, hitting the headlines at home – where sporting infatuation has largely been restricted to football – and evincing a phone call of support from the Tunisian president Kais Saied who described her as “an example for women and young people”.

“Every swing of her racket honors the Tunisian flag,” he said.

– Coffee at Roland Garros –

It is all a long way from the small town of Hammam Sousse, near the seaside resort of Sousse, where Jabeur first picked up a racket at the age of three.

After a stint at a club, she joined a tennis promotion center at her school run by Nabil Mlika who coached her from a four-year-old up to 13.

“Ons stood out above all for her talent and her desire to win,” Mlika told AFP.

As a 10-year-old, her sights were already set on some lofty goals.

“Several times she told her mother: ‘One day I will get you a coffee at Roland Garros’,” says Mlika.

“I took it as a bit of a joke but it seems she was very serious. It’s magical.”

At the time her club had no facilities which meant training on the courts of the neighboring hotels. Today the kids gather in the afternoons on 10 courts, the name of Ons Jabeur on every young player’s lips.

Aged 12, the prodigy joined the best athletes in the country at the sports school of El Menzah in Tunis.

“Ons had an exceptional technical gift,” says the former technical director of the Tunisian federation Hichem Riani.

“She was very lively, dynamic, friendly and sociable with a great sense of humor.”

Her former colleague Mehdi Abid remembers a child who, having always dominated other girls, loved to train with boys.

“Once, she participated in a boys’ tournament and won matches, which demoralized some players, annoyed to be beaten by a girl,” says Mehdi.

– Grand Slam breakthrough –

In 2011, in the shadow of the Jasmine Revolution that brought democracy to Tunisia, the 16-year-old Jabeur won the junior championship at the French Open, a victory that remains her “best memory in tennis”.

She was the first North African winner of a junior Grand Slam.

The coffee tasted good.

Six years later, she distinguished herself again on Parisian clay, becoming the first woman from an Arab country to qualify for the third round of a Grand Slam.

She had to do it the hard way, beating the Slovak Dominika Cibulkova who was ranked seventh in the world at the time.

Now her Australian odyssey made Jabeur the first Arab player to reach the last eight of a major. Egyptian, Betsy Abbas, reached the quarters at Roland Garros in 1960 but that was before the Open era.

Jabeur left Tunisia when she was 16 but she was back home to prepare for Melbourne alongside her coach Issam Jalleli and her husband and fitness coach Karim Kamoun.

She is hoping that her success will inspire a new generation of tennis players.

“Ons represents all of Africa, and personally, it inspires me a lot,” says 17-year-old Elyes Marouani.

“What she has achieved pushes me to work more and has taught me never to give up.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Ceres-Negros put on a gallant effort but it was not enough to defeat crack Japanese side FC Tokyo 2-0 Tuesday night and fall short of its bid to enter the group stage of the AFC Champions League.

The Busmen, who was hoping to score a stunning upset, conceded both goals in the second half as Sei Muroya and Adailton scored for FC Tokyo amid wet conditions at the Ajinomoto Stadium in the Japanese capital.

FC Tokyo earned the right to take one of the final slot in the group stage of Asia’s top-tier club competition while relegating Ceres back to the second-tier AFC Cup.

The Philippines Football League and Copa Paulino Alcantara winners flirted at the possibility of becoming the first Philippine club to reach the Champions League following victories over Myanmar’s Shan United and Thailand’s Port FC.

Coach Risto Vidakovic’s men entered the playoff round as heavy underdog, with midfielder Stephan Schrock serving a ban for accumulated cards.

Despite Schrock’s absence, Ceres was able to bring a goalless tie into halftime. However, Tokyo delivered the opener three minutes after the restart when Muroya scored off the hands of Busmen keeper Roland Muller.

Ceres gained an advantage when FC Tokyo was reduced to 10 men when Taichi Hara was given a straight red in the 78th. However, the Busmen failed to capitalize and Adailton later produced the second goal on a counterattack.

Ceres opens its AFC Cup campaign in mid-February in Group C along with Vietnam’s Than Quang Ninh, Indonesia’s Bali United and the winner of the two-legged playoff between Cambodia’s Svay Rieng and Laos’ Master 7.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Hanah Tabios 

The tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant continues all over the world as a group of visual artists in Taguig City turned a blacktop into a massive mural for Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna who also died in a helicopter crash on Sunday in California.

Less than 24 hours after the shocking news devastated the fans worldwide, hoops influencer Mike Swift and his team completed the giant artwork in the famed Tenement basketball court, depicting Bryant’s love for his daughter Gigi.

The hand-painted tribute mural was praised by social media users not only in the Philippines but also by some sports commentators in the United States.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B72JM4EATEC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

On his Instagram post, Swift said: “We pay tribute to the one and only. Arguably the best to ever do it! We will forever love you Kobe Bryant. We miss you and Gigi already!”

The court’s side walls were also painted with messages, most of which were quotes from Bryant who is known for his “Mamba mentality.”

“Pass by if you can, we will be painting all day, all night again. Since early, media and visitors are coming one by one. Leave a message, bring a candle, drop a verse if you are a singer or a rapper. We will continue to mourn the loss, but more important is that we make sure the legacy of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant lives in our hearts forever,” Swift added in a separate post Tuesday.

Several landmarks in the country also paid tribute to the basketball icon by lighting up their buildings with Los Angeles Lakers colors blue and gold with Bryant’s jersey numbers “8” and “24”.

WATCH:

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz delivered the goods as she captured the gold medal in the 55kg women’s category in the 2020 Roma World Cup Tuesday in Italy.

Diaz, 28, dominated the competition as she had a total lift of 212kgs after she finished the snatch event at 93kgs and 119kgs in the clean and jerk event of the competition, a qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Olympics this year.

On both her final attempts in the two categories, Diaz failed to complete it – or ‘no lift’ – of 95kgs in snatch and 122kgs in clean and jerk. She received a total of three gold medals for ruling the snatch, clean and jerk, and the 55kg division of the tournament.

Nevertheless, her total points were enough to win Diaz her first gold medal in the world stage as Kamila Konotop of Ukraine placed second with a total lift of 196kgs to settle with the silver medal while Nouha Landoulsi of Tunisia placed third with 194kgs for the bronze medal.

Diaz twice bagged the bronze medal in the world championships, in 2017 in Anaheim, USA, and in 2019 in Pattaya, Thailand. She won the gold medal in the Asian Games in Indonesia last year.

Prior to the tournament, Diaz said that her target is to finish in the top three to improve her spot in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) world ranking, which at the moment is at No. 5.

After she captured her first gold medal in the 30th Southeast Asian Games here the previous month, Diaz improved her raking points to 3.632.0672, but that is expected to improve with her latest victory.

Currently leading in the 55kg category are Chinese weightlifters Jiang Huihua (4,667.8878), Liao Qiuyun (4,288.9622), Zhang Wanqiong (4,212.6639) and Li Yajun (4,099.0223), while at No. 6 is Muattar Nabieva of Uzbekistan (3,519.9108), Yenny Sinisterra of Colombia at No. 7 (3,432. 7232) and Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Chinshanlo at No. 8 (3,413.5078).

Interestingly, the Chinese lifters did not participate in the tournament.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Games Wednesday

(The Arena, San Juan)

8:30 a.m. – Perpetual vs Arellano (Jrs)
10 a.m. – Perpetual vs Arellano (Men’s)
12 noon – Perpetual vs Arellano (Women’s)
2 p.m. – Letran vs Mapua (Women’s)
3:30 p.m. – Letran vs Mapua (Men’s)
5 p.m. – Letran vs Mapua (Jrs)

Lyceum of the Philippines University earned its second straight win with a dominant 25-18, 25-17, 25-15 victory against Emilio Aguinaldo College Tuesday in the NCAA Season 95 at The Arena in San Juan.

Rookie Venice Puzon finished with 15 excellent sets and added four service aces, Joy Onofre scored 13 points, Monica Sevilla had 11 points and Alexandra Rafael added 10 points for the Lady Pirates who improved to 2-3.

The victory enhanced Lyceum’s chances of making the Final Four after climbing to fifth place with a week left in the eliminations.

LPU is eyeing its first-ever semifinal round appearance since joining the NCAA in 2011.

But coach Emil Lontoc said there’s no reason for them to make crucial mistakes at this point.

“Ang schedule game naming, masyadong napalaban kami kaagad sa top four (to start the elimination round). Sunod-sunod kaagad iyon, yung No. 1 (Arellano), yung No. 2 (CSB),” said Lontoc.

“Yung No. 3 (San Beda), na-postponed iyon. Pero maganda na rin iyon kasi makakalaban namin yun sa last game.”
Cathrine Almazan had 12 points, while Lauren Cabrera contributed nine markers for EAC which dropped to 0-4.

EAC’s men’s and junior’s teams, meanwhile, kept their respective records intact after sweeping the LPU.

Danrich Melad scored 21 points to power the Generals against the Pirates, 25-20, 25-23, 25-17, while Mhar Miranda and Dominic Puentespina each scored 16 points to lead the Brigadiers in a 25-18, 26-28, 25-22, 25-17 conquest of the Junior Pirates.

Source: Manila Bulletin