The Los Angeles Lakers are the most popular NBA team in the Philippines, largely due to iconic players like Kobe Bryant and extensive media coverage, attracting millions of Filipino fans.
Historical Success
The Los Angeles Lakers are the most popular NBA team in the Philippines partly because of their outstanding historical success. The Lakers have won 17 NBA Championships, tying the Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history. This winning tradition is something that has drawn the Filipino basketball community together, with most basketball fans favoring teams that have had success in the past. One notable example of this is the mammoth viewership registered during the 2009 and 2010 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics respectively.
The games were watched in sports bars, at homes, and in public viewing events, with some key games recording viewership of over 5 million people. Even today, the jersey of the legendary Kobe Bryant is one of the most selling in the country, alongside that of Lebron James. According to league sources, an estimated 30% of all NBA jerseys sold in the Philippines are the Lakers kits. This illustrates the scale of the Lakers’ following in the Philippines. This success is something that Filipino fans like comparing to other teams. Most fans from the Philippines see the success and dominance of the Lakers as a measuring stick for other NBA teams.
The success of the Lakers can be seen in their 17 NBA Championships and 32 appearances in the NBA finals. This dominant culture created through winning is something that has made fans in the Philippines stick with the team. Fans also engage in talks in which they support the Lakers with most constantly stressing the dominance of the team throughout the years. The team’s victorious eras during the reign of Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant are often used as proof of dominance.
Iconic Players
The roster of the Los Angeles Lakers with their legendary players is one of the greatest factors that make them so popular in the Philippines. Filipino fans are typically impressed by such players because they show great personal skills, charisma, and leadership. Kobe Bryant is a good example of the athlete who was loved by millions of people in the Philippines. When he visited Manila for his third time in 2011, thousands of Filipinos gathered at Ninoy Aquino International Airport just to welcome him. His 2011 visit was successful as he played a few exhibition games at the Araneta Coliseum; the tickets to this event were sold out two hours later.
Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” teaches Filipinos and many other people the type of dedication and hours of hard work required to succeed in basketball. Their personal skill and critical approach to the game make Filipinos love such players and get inspired to play basketball. Another example of a Lakers player who is popular in the Philippines is Lebron James. For instance, as Ely of the Manila Bulletin reports, his move to the Lakers in 2018 has developed an increase in NBA merchandise sales in the Philippines.
The “King” Lebron’s jersey was the most sold-over jersey in the country, and this was not only due to his name. When such great basketball stars as Kobe Bryant visited the Philippines, they also held basketball clinics. During these events, Filipino children were formally taught important lessons through these clinics. Former Lakers basketball players attended many basketball clinics in the Philippines, which was considered a great honor by many people.
Media Coverage
Extensive media coverage of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Philippines is one of the leading reasons for their popularity among Filipino fans of the NBA. The Pinoy’s sports channels frequently show the Lakers’ games “live most especially during the NBA Playoffs and Finals”. It is worth mentioning that these games are frequently watched by the Filipino public during viewing parties “in almost every corner of the country”. An example of such viewership during the 2020 Lakers’ victory in the NBA Finals, there were live broadcasts on cable networks with millions of Filipinos viewers.
Specifically, this presence of the Lakers in media is attributed to the Filipino sports programs and shows that overview and analyze Lakers’ games and performance of the players. This coverage remains prominent up to the present day, and such “analysis of the Los Angeles Lakers and other NBA games through local sports shows has kept Filipino sports fans entertained throughout the season”. Equally, sports commentators tend to analyze the tactics and plays of the Lakers, interacting with other experts.
The Lakers’ presence is also quite prominent in such social media platforms as Facebook and Twitter. Particularly, their screen or video shooting of the most remarkable or important parts and moments of games is frequently widely discussed or gain many mentions and shares. For example, when LeBron James posted up a triple-double score, and he “provided the game-sealing shot with a drive” many Filipino fans share this content with other fans via phones or throughout the liked Facebook posts. Notably, Manila newspapers and the corresponding sections online also show a substantial presence of the Lakers.
In their articles, they provide not only overviews and analyses of the games but also information on the players of the Lakers, their opinions, or the strategy of the Lakers, and predictions. Many such pages have printable infographics showing statistics or video analyses. Overall, games of the Los Angeles Lakers are broadcast during prime time, and the television ratings show a peak of popularity during these times. Specifically, basketball fans watched Lakers’ games in 2020 Finals on by 20% more than other playoff games.
