PERENNIAL PBA All-Star James Yap said the presence of his celebrity son Bimby in the stands on Sunday made this midseason showpiece a lot more special than the others.
Voted to start in his 12th All-Star game, the San Mig star expressed his wish to have his son with him during the All-Star game after he skipped Saturday's three-point shootout for a court-scheduled visitation.
Reports said Yap's extranged partner, Kris Aquino, readily agreed to have Bimby watch his dad at the Mall of Asia Arena where the PBA All-Stars played the World Cup-bound Gilas Pilipinas side.
“Siyempre, masaya dahil nandiyan siya (Bimby),” Yap told Spin.ph during the halftime break of the midseason classic.
On the other hand, Bimby, who was seated next to Yap's Italian girlfriend Michella Cazzola, was oblivious to the attention he was getting from fans, his focus on the game he was playing in his iPad mini.
Asked what he told his All-Star father during the break, Bimby said he asked him to drink lots of water during the game because he was sweating profusely after the first period.
“Yes, I just told papa to drink lots of water,” Bimby said, before turning his attention back to his iPad.
Bimby actually stole the show during the star-studded All-Star game as basketball fans took pictures of him during the intermission.
When asked if he will have dinner with his father after the game, Bimby replied, “no” explaining that he still has class on Monday.
Bimby, who is turning seven on April 19, studies at Brent International School in Mamplasan, Laguna.