After 47 years of existence of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) finally a player born and raised in San Jose, Mindoro will be playing in Asia’s first-ever play-for-pay league.
Chris Lalata was able to fulfill his dream of being a professional hoopster for he was selected 2nd round 16th draft pick over-all chosen by the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters. A total of 75 players submitted their draft applications, but that number got cropped to 66 as some failed to submit the obligatory requirements.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser lands at Blackwater as the top pick, while Terrafirma and Converge select Jeremiah Gray and Jeo Ambohot as the No. 2 and 3 picks, respectively. The draft happened at Robinson’s Place in Manila yesterday, Sunday, May 15, 2022.
Lalata’s first-ever PBA team is managed by Paulo Bugia and governed by Atty. Raymond Zorilla with Michael “Topex” Robinson as the head bench tactician. The team debuted in the PBA in the 2016 Commissioners Cup. Its franchise commenced after it acquired the second Barako Bull team (erstwhile known as the original Air21 Express team) in January of that year. Aside from Lalata, also listed to play for the team are PBA tyros Tyler Tio and Encho Serrano. The three are expected to immediately gel with the team’s top players such as Chris Banchero, Vic Manuel, RJ Jazul, Matthew Wright, and the rest.
Back in San Jose, Lalata studied and played for the Pedro T. Mendiola Sr. Memorial National High School and joined various regional competitions and sandlot basketball as a kid and inter-municipality, provincial and regional leagues as a teen.
If you are a budding basketball player, seeing your name on
the back of the jersey worn by fans and exhibited in a sports apparel store
feels like heaven. Especially if thousands of people cheer you on, as you play
in famous venues such as the Big Dome, the MOA Arena, and the rest. The PBA is
the Golconda of every Filipino basketballer with its adulation, salary and
perks and other advantages.
As far as I could remember, there are only two professional players who came from Mindoro Island before him: the legendary Nelson “The Bull” Asaytono of various champion teams of the league who was born in San Teodoro but raised in Mamburao, and Robinson “Ben” Obrique of the CDCP Galleon Shippers from Roxas also from the island’s eastern side.
Seeking greener pasture in the big city, the long-limbed Mindoro
cager played for St. Francis of Assisi College, Olivarez College, Marinerong
Pilipino, Muntinlupa Cagers, the Bicol Volcanoes, Zamboanga Family Brand
Sardines, Bacolod Masters and Davao Occidental Tigers. Lalata stands 6’5”, 198
lbs. He was born in Barangay Mangarin on
January 9, 1995. I featured him in this blog entry two years ago.
He practically grew up on a breeding farm for fighting cocks
in their community. This youthful power forward from Occidental Mindoro soars
through the big league like a winner rooster that powers its way out of the
cockpit arena.
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Photo:
WWW.PBA.PH
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