Byron Scott watching the PBA Games at Filoil Flying V Arena. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
NBA legend Byron Scott got a dose of Filipino hoops when he watched the PBA game between Phoenix and Meralco on Wednesday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
“I enjoyed it,” he quipped.
Visiting the country for the first time to spend his Christmas here, the former NBA Coach of the Year was accompanied by his Fil-Am girlfriend Cecilia Gutierrez, who helped him see what the Philippine brand of basketball is all about.
And he didn’t go home disappointed, as the former Los Angeles Lakers coach saw an exciting tiff where the Fuel Masters came away with a 94-90 victory over the Bolts.
“My girlfriend is a good friend with a couple of coaches, who then invited us to watch. I figured, ‘Lets go see local basketball.’ I thought it was interesting,” he said.
Scott didn’t point out the players which stood out to him, but he said was impressed with the level of competition between the teams.
“I thought both teams were competitive. I saw some young talent that were pretty good. If they keep developing, keep playing, make sure they stay humble, they got a chance to be very successful,” he said.
Scott said that he will also be in attendance for the Christmas gameday at Philippine Arena, where Mahindra and Blackwater face off before the Manila Clasico duel between Ginebra and Star.
He will leave the country the next day.