Tag Archives: Basketball

International, Politics, Sports

MANNY PACQUIAO IS AMONG TOP FIVE FILIPINO CONGRESSMEN

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Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao

Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – World boxing champion Manny Pacquiao was honored by his fellow lawmakers today for being among the top five Filipino Congressmen.  Pacquiao is an elected member of the House of Representatives, representing his native Saranggani province.

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte praised Pacquiao, who is also a playing coach of the Kia Sorrentos basketball team in the country’s Professional Basketball Association (local counterpart of the NBA in the U.S.), for being in the top 5 leading congressmen – absentee congressmen, that is. The boxer ranked No. 5.  Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who remains in hospital arrest in connection with  plunder charges filed against her, is in the No. 1 spot.

Belmonte said that Pacquiao has attended 31 and missed 38 sessions in his current congressional term. “He is to be commended for his attendance record given his very busy schedule as a professional boxer and basketball playing coach. He truly brings great honor to our country,” Belmonte added.

Pacquiao is being investigated by the Philippines’ Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for tax evasion in connection with his earnings from his championship boxing fights in the U.S., to which he has said, “this is purely a witch hunt by BIR Commissional Kim Henares who seems to enjoy going after celebrities like me.”

International, Politics, Sports

OBAMA APPOINTS JEREMY LIN AS U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA

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volvolinWashington, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) –President Barack Obama has just announced the appointment of NBA player Jeremy Shu-hou Lin as new ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.  If confirmed by the Senate, the basketball star will replace current Ambassador Max Sieben Baucus who is stepping down after just seven months in his position.  Baucus is quitting because he says he is extremely homesick and wants to go back to his home in Montana.

Lin, who currently plays with the Los Angeles Lakers, became an international sensation in 2012 when he unexpectedly led a winning streak by the New York Knicks in that year’s NBA season.  This started the “Linsanity” craze in the U.S. and abroad.

In announcing the appointment, Obama said that there is no one who could better fill the shoes of Baucus than Lin.  “Although he was born in America, the Chinese people can very well identify with him because of his lineage,” Obama said.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that the president is well aware that the Chinese are very fond of basketball and hopes that Lin’s dribbling, guarding and shooting skills will further endear the Chinese to the United States of America.

Rodman, right, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
Rodman, right, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

There was earlier speculation that Obama was considering appointing Dennis Rodman, given the flamboyant basketball player’s demonstrated diplomatic skills in his meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.  However, Obama decided on Lin because he believes that the Chinese will take him more seriously than Rodman.

Lin, 26, will make history as the youngest U.S. Ambassador, eclipsing the previous record held by John Huntsman, Jr. who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 as ambassador to Singapore.  Huntsman was 32.

Sports

MANNY PACQUIAO IS DRAFTED BY THE NBA, WILL QUIT PBA AS KIA PLAYING COACH

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Pacquiao in his Golden State Warriors jersey.
Pacquiao in his Golden State Warriors jersey.

Oakland, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Something unprecedented happened to Filipino world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao during his visit this week to California.

Many people know that the Philippine congressman’s second love and passion next to boxing is basketball. Just recently, he was appointed as playing coach for the KIA Sorentos, the newest professional team to join the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the Filipino counterpart of the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA).

Today, the Golden State Warriors announced that it has drafted Pacquiao to join its  NBA team.  The Warriors are based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the NBA’s Western Conference.

The Warriors were very impressed with Pacquiao’s basketball skills during an impromptu practice game he had with the American team at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. The rest is history. Pacquiao left the arena with a signed three-year contract with the Warriors.

“It’s a dream come true,” Pacquiao told reporters in his native Tagalog.  “I will show the Warriors that they did not make a mistake in picking me.”

As a result of his new contract, Pacquiao said he is stepping down as playing coach of the KIA Sorentos so that he can focus on the NBA. That is, in addition to his boxing career and his duties as an elected legislator.