Men’s basketball team given ‘Agimat’

Photo from Nike PH

Troy Rosario doesn’t really believe in lucky charms, amulets or even pregame rituals.

But even the 6-foot-7 forward of TNT KaTropa was awed by a shoe giant’s send-off gift for members of the Gilas Pilipinas squad that will shoot for the Southeast Asian Basketball Association crown starting Friday.

“When I first saw it, I was surprised to see Tagalog words and phrases printed on the shoe,” said Rosario, referring to “Agimat,” the latest model in the line of Nike’s LeBron 14 shoes inspired by the part of Filipino culture that dwells on magic and mysticism.

An agimat is an amulet or charm believed to bring its wearer good luck or keep its bearer away from ill-fortune.

“I don’t really believe in lucky charms,” said Rosario in Filipino. “But I really felt a lot of pride in seeing our words on the shoe of one of the greatest players in the NBA today.”

Shooter Allein Maliksi of the Star Hotshots felt the same way.

“The agimat is part of our culture and to read the words ‘Para sa Kadakilaan’ woven into the shoe design, it really represents the sacrifice of [Gilas Pilipinas] for the country.”

It’s not like Gilas Pilipinas will need amulets against countries it basically toys around within regional competitions. But it certainly won’t harm the team to have a little good luck on their side as the competition opens.