There’s this immense pride on the part of Paul Lee when he sees fellow Tondo native Adrian Nocum thriving in the PBA, just like he has.
The three-time champion even went as far as saying that the Rain or Shine combo guard possesses twice the swagger as Lee — indeed, high praise from somebody who’s been known by fans and observers as the ‘Angas ng Tondo.’
“‘Yung sa kanya, baka doble pa nga nung sa akin eh,” he said.
“Kitang-kita naman natin kung paano niya tinake-over ‘yung laro, from start to finish.”
Lee offered as much on Friday night, moments after his Magnolia got beaten by the Elasto Painters, 98-97, thanks to a gutsy Nocum game-winner.
The high-flying swingman out of Mapua was entrusted to take the shot, and he delivered. Nocum attacked the Hotshots’ defense for the finger-roll with 5.6 seconds left before the others preserved his efforts by coming up big on defense.
(C) PBA Images
It couldn’t get any tougher for the opposition, especially for Lee, who was off to a hot start early on from deep. He even went on to dislodge former MVP Arwind Santos at no. 8 in the league’s all-time three-pointers made list.
Still, it was all love and respect for both teams as the final buzzer rang. And it was best represented by Lee and Nocum as they shared a moment at the SM Mall of Asia Arena hardwood before rejoining their respective teams.
Asked about it, the 37-year-old said that he only congratulated Nocum, who finished with a new PBA career-high 31 points alongside nine rebounds.
“Sabi ko lang sa kanya, ‘Very good game, sobrang proud ako sa’yo, just keep going.’ Sobrang happy ako na may taga-Tondo na nagsha-shine ulit,” he said.
No doubt that the one-time All-Star will take that to heart, and Lee wishes him the absolute best in his career moving forward.
“I’m rooting for him, na sana gumanda pa ‘yung career niya sa PBA,” said the second overall pick of the 2011 Draft.
“Sky’s the limit para sa kanya.”
