#2: Shoutout to Celtics fans Bleeding Green in the PHILIPPINES! 🇵🇭

Hey Celtics fans in the Philippines! celticslife.com has had 5,881,291 visits from the Philippines since the website originated in September 2009, which lands you at #2 on our list of countries with the most visits. This of course also makes you the international leader in visits! Thanks so much for all the love you've shown the site these past 10+ years.

I would say I was surprised to see all the visits from the Philippines when I first started to check out the site's analytics ten years ago, but it really didn't come as a shock to me. The two years prior I had been living out in California and I coached high school basketball. It's there where I met several Filipino players/refs and learned how passionate they were about basketball.

Filipinos take their basketball seriously

I've compared previously the Philippines when it comes to basketball to the Dominican Republic with baseball. Of course the one main difference is Major League Baseball is full of Dominican born players while there has never been a NBA player of Filipino descent. This I would gather is mostly due to the fact that baseball is a sport where yes you need to have athletic gifts, but you can also work your butt off to make it to the show. NBA basketball on the other hand is mostly limited to a select athletic few, with a strong emphasis on height.

The average height in the Philippines is 5 feet 1.57 inches tall. My guess is if you grow up in the Philippines and are closer to 6 feet tall (or taller than that) you play the post due to necessity. One doesn't really make the NBA at 6 feet tall if you're not a point guard. But one day the Philippines will have someone make the NBA. Might have to be a guard who has a late growth spurt, but I'm sure there have been a few players that were close talent wise to making it. One day it will happen.

Back to the comparison to the Dominican Republic with their love for baseball. A former Celtics all-star guard and NBA champion sums it up best:

The fans are crazy there. It’s unbelievable how many Celtic fans are there, how many Rondo fans are there. They bleed basketball. It’s like being home in Boston, but kinda on steroids. Population of about 93 million, and they show a lot of love. A lot of fans understood the game of basketball, and I think they could relate to me because I'm not the biggest guy on the court, but I play with a lot of heart.

-Rajon Rondo on the Philippines, 8/31/12

Couldn't stand the Miami Heat, but never had
a problem with their 3 time champion coach

While the NBA has never had a player of Filipino descent, Eric Spoelstra became the first Asian-American head coach in the history of the major four North American professional sports leagues when the Miami Heat hired him. Spoelstra is of Filipino descent on his mother's side.

Former Wizards and Nets big man Andray Blatche found a second home post NBA in the Philippines and actually received dual citizenship from there so he could play for the national team. One of the most famous Filipinos, former boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, I know is a die hard Celtics fan. Look how happy Pac-Man is here to meet stars like KG, Pierce, and Ray from his favorite team?!

Pac-Man rocking a Celtics jersey

Pacquiao has famously delayed boxing title matches until after Celtics playoff games have concluded. He definitely bleeds green.

Site wise we had a writer from the Philippines in the early days named Gerald Alden. Gerald's most famous piece was called They Damn Tried, which was both very well received and very much needed. He penned it after the Celtics lost Game 7 to the Lakers in 2010 and it helped many fans get past the heartache.

Then there is one of the biggest contributors to the site all these years Edwin, aka EK who has been our main graphics guy since he discovered the site. Believe it or not embarrassingly I'm not 100% sure if EK who bleeds green in the Bay Area is originally from the Philippines, but I'm pretty sure. I want to say we had a conversation once where I learned that EK did broadcast work for the PBA, but sometimes I can't remember things from this week, so not that trusting of my long term memory.

Andray Blatche repping the Philippines
in international competition

Regardless, EK has been a big part of Celtics Life's history and though we've yet to meet in person, I consider him a great guy and friend. Just need the Warriors to start sucking, so I can fly out there and afford a game. Might have missed my opportunity this year. (Insert face palm).

Speaking of travels, visiting the Philippines and checking out some basketball there is for sure on my bucket list. I probably missed some important Filipino basketball history or Celtics connections, so please leave a comment and fill us in. Also please feel free to tell us a little bit about yourself. How you became a Celtics fan? Where in the Philippines you're representing? How you found out about celticslife.com and when you first started frequenting the site? Maybe a pic of you in some Celtics gear. You know, all that good stuff.

Shoutout to all the Celtics fans Bleeding Green in the Philippines!

Amazing photo of a basketball game breaking out in typhoon ravaged Philippines, November, 2013

#2: Shoutout to Celtics fans Bleeding Green in the PHILIPPINES! 🇵🇭

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