ASIDE from his play on the court, Alvin Patrimonio’s demeanor off the court especially to his fans have been well-documented.
And apparently, the attitude of Patrimonio to his fans has stuck in the mind of his former teammate Kenny Redfield to this day.
Purefoods was one of the stops of Redfield during his PBA career and even won the 1994 Commissioner’s Cup crown with the Hotdogs. That conference also saw Redfield and Patrimonio winning the championship, beating Alaska in a five-game series.
During that stint, Redfield learned a lot from Patrimonio as far as treating fans and being humble is concerned. Redfield recalled his first game with Purefoods where he and Patrimonio were scheduled to have a dinner after their match.
“After the first game that we had, I’m getting dressed and got ready to come out of the locker room. We were the last two to always leave the locker room. We were supposed to have dinner. This is the first that I got to Purefoods after the game. It took an hour and a half for him to sign every autograph that someone asked him for,” Redfield said during an interview with the Extra Session podcast.
“He never said no to everyone,” said Redfield of Patrimonio, who was the reigning MVP of the league at that time.
Redfield’s stint in the Philippines was his most memorable of his career playing internationally, more because of how he was able to befriend his Filipino teammates in his stay here that also saw him play for Pepsi, Formula Shell and Sta. Lucia.
Redfield said he was amazed at how Patrimonio gave importance to his fans, which was a learning experience for the two-time PBA Best Import.
“I took a lot from him being in the States. We were kinda spoiled and selfish a little bit with the accolades and all the stuff that’s coming our way. But he showed me as a professional how you treat your fans. It was something to see,” said Redfield.
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