19 year old Nigerian student-athlete Bright Akhuetie savored every moment of his second all-star appearance.
Right from the moment he stepped inside the Filoil Flying V Centre, Perpetual’s big man was seen mingling with his fellow all-stars, joking around in contrast to his serious demeanor during game days. Moreover, Akhuetie even volunteered to serve as a prop for fellow Nigerian Eugene Toba during the dunk contest.
“I actually just came here to have fun and do what I have to do,” Akhuetie shared.
“I wanna thank everybody, from my teammates, the coaches and the fans, Perpetual, and everybody for their support.”
Then came the main event: the All-Star Game.
With no resemblance of defense whatsoever during the course of the entire game, Akhuetie and his squad dominated their opponents en route to a 108-73 win. For his part, the Nigerian big man showcased his high-leaping ability, highlighted by three thunderous jams to the delight of the fans watching.
“It was fun. We were just joking almost all the time,” he said about playing for rival head coach Jamike Jarin for the second straight year. “He still realizes that business is business.”
Akhuetie finished the game with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. For his efforts, he was crowned as the MVP of the game.
Even with this achievement, the Perpetual sophomore is not letting this feat get into his head.
“Not really. Sometimes, stuff like these make people get carried away,” the first foreigner to win the MVP crown in the All-Star Game shared.
“I’m just gonna look at it like it’s a plus.”
Looking forward to next season’s all-star festivities, Akhuetie is still pondering whether he will join next year’s dunk contest.
“I’m not really 100 percent to dunk right now,” Akhuetie said pointing to both of his knees. “I’ll think about it.”
“I’ll work on it, probably next season.”
