House of Kobe: Basketball-mad Philippines mourns NBA legend

Fans left flowers and messages at the newly inaugurated court after Bryant's death

Last updated: January 27, 2020 | 16:26

AFP and Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Digital Content Producer

2 MIN READ

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A city in hoops-mad Philippines inaugurated on Sunday a new community centre and basketball court named in honour of Kobe Bryant - only hours before news of the NBA legend's death broke.

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Locals had hoped that Bryant - who died in a helicopter crash in California - would one day step into what they called the "House of Kobe", a court adorned with wall-sized murals of his likeness.

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Bryant has made at least five visits to the Philippines, always received by joyous crowds in a country where basketball - not football - is the national sports obsession.

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"We hoped he would get in touch with us... We have a 'House of Kobe' for you," said Eric Martinez, the congressman behind the project in Valenzuela City, which is part of Manila's sprawl.

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It is a love affair that goes back to the 1900s when the game was introduced to the archipelago by the Americans.

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Rather than reject the pastime of their colonial masters, Filipinos made it their own.

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It is Bryant's reputation as ultra-competitive that made him the namesake for Valenzuela's new indoor court, one of nearly 25,000 scattered around the nation.

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Some of them were at the court on Monday to light candles, leave flowers, or scrawl tributes to Bryant on a wall at the community centre.

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One person even painted the former LA Lakers star's face on a wall.

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