THEY'RE more than mere numbers, and there's more to them than meets the eye.
From important dates in their lives to lucky numbers to mere coincidence, there's usually a compelling story behind the numbers your favorite players wear on their backs.
And more often that not, these stories will either surprise you or make you feel closer to their cage idols.
Here's the second of our series:
Kevin Ferrer, No. 7, University of Santo Tomas Tigers
FOR Kevin Ferrer, wearing the No. 7 jersey is his way of upholding a family tradition.
The University of Santo Tomas star said he chose to carry the number jersey to honor his basketball-playing family, most of whom have played competitively during their heyday.
“Family number namin ‘yun simula sa lolo ko, sa father ko, sa kuya ko, seven na,” Ferrer, now the acknowledged leader of the Tigers, related to Spin.ph.
Ferrer bared his grandfather Jose actually played in the old Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (Micaa), while his father played for Lyceum and was a teammate of former PBA MVP Ato Agustin.
All of them wore the No. 7 jersey.
“’Yung lolo ko naglalaro dati sa unang Micaa. Naglalaro rin siya sa mga inter-bank dati. Tatay ko naman, kasabay ni coach Ato Agustin nung high school hanggang college,” Ferrer explained.
“Pinagpapatuloy ko lang ‘yun,” he added.
Early in his collegiate career, Ferrer wore No. 14 at the back of his Tigers jersey, which he also did during his stint with Sinag Pilipinas in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.
The story behind it was simple: Jeric Fortuna already owned the No. 7 jersey at UST, and so Ferrer had to wait for Fortuna to play his final season with the school to claim his favorite number.
“Siyempre si Fortuna ‘yun, respect na rin sa beterano ‘yun,” he said.
[See There's a story behind every jersey number: Find out what No. 14 meant to Mark Barroca]
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