NBA star Paul George back in Manila for street ball program

Paul George answers questions from Philippine media. Mark Cristino

 

Indiana Pacers forward Paul George arrived in the Philippines on Sunday night as the guest of honor for Nike Rise, a documentary program aiming to discover talented street ballers in the country.

 

George, who first visited the country to play in a preseason game in 2013, is set to open the House of Rise in Mandaluyong City and introduce the 24 basketball players chosen to join the project, and the NBA star said he is more than happy to be able to give back to the sport.

 

"When I was a kid I used to draw sketches of sneakers. It's crazy, here I am, being ambassador," he said during the media conference held on Monday. "It's a blessing."

 

The No. 10 pick overall in 2010 and now the face of the franchise for the Pacers, George said basketball has been good to him as he rose to the All-Star ranks and became the go-to player and leader of his team in five seasons in the league.

 

He said he relishes the opportunity to be able to help out kids who dream of playing ball and inspire them to improve their skills with his brief trip to the country.

 

"They see me on the court, on TV, they haven't seen me in person, up close and personal," George said. "That was great to have that opportunity. I never had someone teach me from the NBA."

 

"I'm here for a short time and I want to make the most out of it," he added.

 

George said he was impressed with the kids after playing with them earlier.

 

"They got great passion. It's something I can relate to. They genuinely love the game," he said. —JST, GMA News