FORMER PBA import John Best credited Norman Black for his lengthy stay in the Philippines, a career that spanned six seasons with two different teams.
Best said Black’s words right in his first day in the country stuck with him.
“I must give him credit,” the former import told the Extra Session podcast. “Norman told me the very first day, 'If you do well and you keep your nose clean, you can have a long time in the Philippines.' He told me to play your game.”
“If Norman Black didn’t say those words, I had a different career in the Philippines,” he added.
The Tennessee Tech product began playing in the PBA in the 1995 Commissioner’s Cup with Black at San Miguel, but his longest stint in the league was with Formula Shell where he played as import from 1997 to 2000.

Best said his PBA career began after he got an offer from agent Bobby Rios to play in the Philippines following a losing season in Puerto Rico.
“I was playing in Puerto Rico. The team was losing. Bobby said “Hey, you want to go to the Philippines?” They put me in a first-class flight,” Best recalled.
Best’s finest moment in the PBA came in 1998 when Formula Shell won the Governors’ Cup crown at the expense of Mobiline. More than the championship, Best said he valued the lessons from head coach Perry Ronquillo on how to be a leader.
“I salute coach Perry. I learned to be a man when I left the Philippines with some leadership qualities that I learned from coach Perry. His mom passed away during that time and watching him personally go through what he went through and he’s still coached Benjie (Paras), me, Donald Williams, Chris Jackson, Gerry Esplana. We had a focused group.
“So winning that championship was more than winning a championship. It was like I learned some leadership qualities that I can take with me when I’d done with basketball,” said Best.
After he retired from basketball in 2007, Best spent his time in the US school system back home. He is currently based once again in his hometown of Memphis as a general manager of a radio station for the school system.
Best said learnings from his stay in the Philippines come in handy in his current job.
“I’ve been very busy since I left the Philippines. I took a lot of the experience playing in the PBA, and I’m applying them in my life,” said Best.
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