CHICAGO - If you're not yet on the Kevin Quiambao bandwagon, he just gave another reason for you to hop on it.
Just in time for this weekend's UAAP Season 87 hostilities.
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound dynamo resisted the temptation to take his act to the pro leagues for a wheel-barrow full of cash.
Per multiple sources, the Sono Skygunners of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) have a standing offer for KQ to join the Goyang-based club.
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The deal, I am told, is a three-year package worth $275,000 in the first year, $375,000 in the second year and a player option on the third.
The money, which is roughly P36.7 million in today's dollar-to-peso conversion rate, is fully guaranteed.
I cannot begin to imagine the thought process involved in resisting the temptation to immediately grab, with both hands, that kind of life-altering sum of money.
BUT THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT NOBILITY AND UNSPOILED INNOCENCE.
The 23-year old UAAP Season 86 MVP chose institution over self, legacy over dollars, and commitment over courtship.
In other words, he got his priorities straight: God. Country. Family. And La Salle Green Archers basketball.
The cash dangled in front of him may seem like monopoly money, but there is no question how much he deserves it.
Beginning last September, Quiambao has had a storybook journey that netted him the type of jewelry that would make Cinderella jealous.
Averaging 16.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 6 assists in 14 games, he was named Season 86 MVP. And after leading La Salle to the title, he also bagged the Finals MVP plum.
Playing for Gilas Pilipinas and Strong Group Athletics (SGA) broadened his horizons and allowed his star to sparkle in the international stage.
MORE OVERSEAS OFFERS.
Besides the KBL, Quiambao, sources said, also got interest from a Dubai team that recently signed former Ateneo star Thirdy Ravena. There were also rumors of a naturalization bid supposedly from the UAE.
But for now, home is where Quiambao's heart belongs.
And that's largely a tribute to the culture and brotherhood coach Topex Robinson has built since his arrival at Taft last January 2023.
Even with the hardware KQ has hoarded these past few months, he's still the same hardworking, eager to please hooper before all the glory and fame came.
"He pretty much sets the bar that others emulate," La Salle head coach Topex Robinson told me.
Once a champ, always a champ.
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