The PBA All-Star Weekend, happening on Aug. 4-7 at the Araneta Center, will give BA fans the chance to hobnob with their basketball idols.
Alaska Aces point huard RJ Jazul hopes PBA fans can “check us out at the PBA All-Star Weekend” on August 4-7 where he and a throng of fan favourites will face-off in a series of fun between-season hard court battles.
Ginebra shooting guard JayJay Helterbrand, who along with his teammates, and Alaska’s Jazul, Chris Banchero, and Calvin Abueva stepped out of the dugout before the Alaska-Ginebra match last Sunday to say hi to fans lining up for PBA All-Star Weekend tickets at the Smart Araneta Coliseum lobby, adds, “Yeah, see your favorite players like Japeth Aguilar, my boy Scottie (Thompson) and my main man Joe Devance; Mark Caguoia, and also Kobe Bryant!”
Of course he’s kidding about Kobe, but the players are looking forward to off-season skirmishes against their toughest on-court rivals. “Come on guys! We’ll be there, and you can check me out in the Dunk Contest,” Helterbrand jokes; he will show off his long-range shooting skills in the 3-Point Competition.
Both the Dunk and 3-Point Competitions, along with the Blitz Games of The Greats vs. The Stalwarts serve as some of the highlights of the biggest weekend for Philippine basketball. The Blitz Games will be led by PBA luminaries Alvin Patrimonio, Ronie Magsanoc, Johnny Abarrientos, Bong Ravena, and Nick Belasco, among others; as well as PBA’s current stars Banchero, Anthony and David Semerad, Maverick Ahanmisi, Raymond Almazan and more.
Back at the Big Dome, the home of the PBA, after several years of being toured out of town, the PBA All-Star Weekend will give fans several meet-and-greet-opportunities with their hard court heroes at the Araneta Center. There will also be basketball clinics for kids, referees, and coaches at a chosen covered court in Quezon City on Aug. 6, Saturday. The day will cap off with arcade-style shooting contest for fans, rockeoke and autograph-signing activities, and performances at the Gateway Food Park.
Come Sunday, Aug. 7, the Smart Araneta Coliseum will roar with the Shooting Stars of the PBA Women’s 5 on 5. The PBA All-Star Weekend will culminate with the awesome All-Star battle between North and South, also at the Big Dome. The Northernmen will be led by Caguioa, Aguilar, Abueva, Terrence Romeo, Marc Pingris, Stanley Pringe, and more; while the Southerners will be headed by Devance, Thompson, James Yap, Asu Taulava, RR Garcia, June Mar Fajardo, and more.
Tickets to the much-awaited PBA All-Star Weekend are available at TicketNet outlets. Call 911-5555 or visit Ticketnet.com.ph
