Lebron James Tops NBA's Most Popular Jerseys List in the Philippines

2016 NBA Finals MVP LeBron James captured the top spot on the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) list of most popular jerseys in the Philippines, the NBA announced today.  Highlighting sales from the four NBA Stores in the Philippines, the list features reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Stephen Curry at No. 2, and four-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving at No. 3.

The Golden State Warriors lead the list of most-popular team merchandise, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 2 and the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 3.

Rankings are based on in-store sales since the beginning of the 2016-17 NBA season.

Top 10 Selling Jerseys

1.      LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

2.      Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

3.      Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

4.      James Harden, Houston Rockets

5.      Dwyane Wade, Chicago Bulls

6.      Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

7.      Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

8.      Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

9.      Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

10.  Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls

Top 5 Most Popular Teams

1.      Golden State Warriors

2.      Cleveland Cavaliers

3.      Los Angeles Lakers

4.      Chicago Bulls

5.      San Antonio Spurs

Fans can purchase NBA merchandise through the four NBA Stores in the Philippines, located in Manila at Glorietta 3, Mega Fashion Hall, TriNoma, and in Cebu at Ayala Center.

SLKZ Ganon Baker Basketball Camp opens May 16 at Ronac Center

Innovative, cutting edge training and developmental techniques steeped in traditional core fundamentals. That’s the promise of the SKLZ Ganon Baker Basketball Camp Manila 2016 when it opens at the Ronac Center along Ortigas Avenue in Greenhills, San Juan on Monday, May 16.

It will run till Friday, May 20 from 1 to 4 p.m.

The much-awaited training program of the elite basketball trainer and skills development coach is open to players of different age groups as well as coaches. Patterned after the courses taught at his Elev8 Sports Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Ganon Baker will be assisted in the five-day program by his local counterpart and Philippine representative, Eric Bañes, a certified skills coach and strength and conditioning specialist together with local coaches Mon Jose and Aries Dimaunahan.

The curriculum includes general concepts, workouts, drills and techniques like separation dribbling, shooting, counter moves and attacks. Participants can expect to learn specific “killer moves” like the Allen Iverson Killer Cross, the Tony Parker Combo, the Chris Paul Inside Out, the Derrick Rose Killer Crossover and the Dirk Nowitski Step Back, among others.

Baker arrived Saturday evening and will meet with groups and teams who seek training for their teams or individual players. Several PBA players and collegiate standouts have reportedly joined the camp to participate alongside young players who were the original target participants of the camp. The organizers have since extended the participation to even younger and older basketball players due to numerous requests from parents, coaches and athletes.

“We have received a lot of requests from players, parents and coaches to bring Ganon Baker to Manila. They know how much it costs to make the trip to Fort Lauderdale and enrol in Ganon’s school there. That’s why we really exerted effort to bring Ganon Baker here. Now that Ganon is in Manila, Filipino players and coaches have a golden opportunity to learn from him right here and save on all the costs and efforts to travel abroad,” Bañes said.

Baker has worked closely with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Vince Carter and travels the world to conduct classes in camps similar to the one he will conduct in Manila for the very first time. Baker has been credited for changing the game of teams and individual athletes and giving them a new, competitive edge.

He has also trained NBA and WNBA players such as James Harden, Jarryd Bayless, Tyson Chandler, Harrison Barnes, Grant Hill, Brandon Knight, Cleanthony Early, Johnny O’ Bryant, Scottie Wilbekin, Demya Walker, Angel McCoughtry, Natalie Novosel and many more.

Besides SKLZ Philippines, the other partners of the event are Elite Performance Strength and Conditioning, Chris Sports, Molten, Jamba Juice and Vivere Hotel.

Interested parties may register at step1bc@yahoo.com or call (0917) 809-0067 for more information.


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Ganon Baker a World-famous basketball skills coach to hold Manila Camp in May

The world-famous coach will bring his sought-after training camp here and make it available to local basketball players who want to enhance their basketball skills in an extraordinary way – without going all the way to Florida.

Baker, who has also worked closely with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Vince Carter travels the world to conduct classes in camps similar to the one he will conduct in Manila for the very first time. His school called Elev8 is located in Florida and draws mainland and foreign basketball players and coaches to it.

The Ganon Baker Basketball Camp Manila 2016 is being organized by local partner Eric Bañes, a certified skills coach and strength and conditioning specialist, who has himself trained at Ganon Baker’s high-performance Elev8 Sports Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Bañes works with pro and collegiate teams locally.

Coaches Mon Jose and Aris Dimaunahan, who are athletes themselves, will assist Bañes and Ganon Baker in the Manila Camp. According to Bañes the Baker Camp in Manila is a breakthrough event for local basketball as local players can now avail of the much-acclaimed basketball program here and save on travel and lodging expenses to boot.

On its initial staging the Camp is targeting young players, boys and girls, 12 to 18 years old. It is also open to amateur and professional coaches who want to learn special drills and game approaches that provide the winning edge in basketball, such as separation dribbling, shooting, and attacking. Following the same Elev8 curriculum, the camp will also focus on defensive techniques and conditioning.

“This is a rare opportunity for coaches and players to take advantage of because people spend thousands of dollars to go to Florida to learn these basketball lessons from the master himself. Now they can save on travel expenses, board and lodging and other incidentals because he is coming to Manila. Training with Ganon Baker dramatically changes player performance and coaching approaches,” Bañes said.

The Ganon Baker Camp will be held at the Ronac Center along Ortigas Avenue, San Juan City from May 16 to 20, 1 to 4 p.m. Coaches are invited to observe the sessions for a fee. Players and coaches may register at step1bc@yahoo.com or call (0917) 809-0067 for more information.

Besides his Elev8 Camp, Ganon Baker also trains boys and girls for Nike Basketball and directs skills academies all over the world, including the Michael Jordan Brand Classics in Europe. He has also trained NBA and WNBA players such as James Harden, Jarryd Bayless, Tyson Chandler, Harrison Barnes, Grant Hill, Brandon Knight, Cleanthony Early, Johnny O’ Bryant, Scottie Wilbekin, Demya Walker, Angel McCoughtry, Natalie Novosel and many more.


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Nike Brings LeBron James Back to Inspire Filipino Youth

Nike is bringing back two-time NBA champion and four-time MVP LeBron James to Manila to mentor the Rise players.  James will also announce members of the final Rise team on August 20 and will continue to inspire the young athletes to leave their comfort zone and get better in the game like never before.

LeBron’s #RISE Story

LeBron James broke into the scene during his formative years in high school, growing up with a drive for greatness like no other.  His relentless desire paired with numerous hours in the gym spent practicing and honing his skills, paved the way to basketball superstardom.

In 2003, he was drafted in the professional league and has since lived up to the hype with numerous accolades under his belt, including two championship rings, four MVP Awards, two Finals MVP Awards, and two All-Star MVP Awards. On a global scale, he was the centerpiece of two Olympic Gold Medal runs in 2008 and 2012. In the past year, he faced more scrutiny and criticism than any other basketball player in the league even as he powered his team through the finals against numerous trials and challenges. He showed that no matter what adversities one faces, one should go all the way and do his best and know that he can rise above it all. LeBron’s tour in Manila will inspire the Filipino youths and aspiring basketball players to fight through obstacles to realize their true basketball potential.

Fans are welcome to personally see LeBron James and hear how he inspires all to “Rise Beyond Belief” with the LeBron James Rise Tour on August 20th at the Mall of Asia of Arena. Gates open at 6:00PM. Tickets for the evening can be obtained by registering on http://gonike.me/LebronJamesRiseTour started last 9:00AM on August 14 until 11:59PM of the same day. Fans who successfully register will need to bring their confirmation email and valid ID on the designated times and dates at Nike stores from August 15 to 18 to pick up their tickets. Fans can enjoy a custom “Rise Beyond Belief” photo booth exclusively at Nike Park Fort in Taguig and be part of a special LeBron James photo mosaic.

Catch Episodes 1 to 5 of Nike Rise airing all Sundays of August at 6PM on TV5.

For more information on #RISE and LeBron James’ visit, follow Nike Philippines on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nikebasketball) and Twitter via @NikePH.



This is a press release