Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Kobe is the second son of PBA legend Benjie Paras and former actress Jackie Forster. His older brother, Andre, is an actor and also plays for AMA Online Education Titans in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup.
Kobe won two gold medals in the slam dunk contest of the Fiba 3×3 Under-18 World Championship in Jakarta in 2013 and Debrecen, Hungary, in 2015.
He was part of the country’s champion teams in the 2013 Seaba Under-16 and 2013 Fiba Asia Under-18 3×3 tournaments.
The teenager attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and played for the Bruins but later withdrew on June 30, 2016 after failing to meet academic requirements.
On July 18, 2016, Kobe suited up for the Creighton University Blue Jays. But after finishing his freshman season and failing to secure a regular playing role, he withdrew on April 29, 2017.
On May 9, 2017, Kobe announced that he would attend Cal State Northridge and play for the Matadors.
—CARLO ANOLIN, CONTRIBUTOR