For years, Kobe Paras has been jumping from place to place, country to country, trying to chase a dream that many Filipino athletes want to reach — playing overseas.
He has been to the United States, transferred from college to college, before finding his way back home to University of the Philippines three years ago.
After the pandemic derailed his supposed final year in UP, the 24-year-old decided to head back to the States to try his luck there once more.
Of course, one of his best friends in Thirdy Ravena always kept tabs on his friend.
“Kami ni Kobe, we go way, way back,” recalled Ravena. “We’ve been teammates since we were nine years old. We went to La Salle together, we both went to Ateneo together. We played each other in the UAAP.
“Kobe and I have been friends for a long time.”
A few months after Ravena was re-upped to a multi-year deal by San-En last June, Paras received a lot of interest from B.League teams.
This included Utsonomiya, who already had sent an offer to Paras but a deal could not be reached at the last minute.
Everyone in the know thought that was it for Paras playing in the B.League. But then, one club team made a Hail Mary in Niigata.
The rest as they say is history and last weekend, the two pals met once more. And in all places, it happened in Toyohashi, Aichi.
Of course, their two encounters were amazing with San-En and Niigata taking a split. And in both of those games, Ravena and Paras delivered.
(C) B.League
Win or lose, Ravena was just glad that Paras has a chance to find a home in Japan and that they can chase their dreams together.
“Talagang masaya at nakaka-excite na nandito siya sa Japan. He has gone through so much in his life and I am happy to see where he is right now. I wish him all the best.”
