KOBE Paras stressed that he didn't mean any disrespect with his statements he made about choosing to play for University of the Philippines.
A number of UP alumni felt slighted when the second-generation star said, "I wanted to start fresh in a school that really has nothing," after making his debut for the Fighting Marooons in a win over Adamson on Sunday.
But as blunt as his words may seem, the high-flying forward said he didn't intend to disrespect the school that welcomed him with open arms after an uneventful stint in the US NCAA.
"I mean, I didn't say anything bad," he said. "You've seen the seasons way past, they haven't won a championship. I didn't mean it in any disrespect. I don't need to clarify myself and the UP community knows that I'm doing this for them."
UP has never won a championship since Kobe's dad Benjie helped the Diliman squad win a title in 1986. The school was out of the Final Four from 1997 before the Paul Desiderio-led crew got as far as the finals last season.
Through the 2000s, the Fighting Maroons have also endured three winless seasons and two one-win years before coach Bo Perasol took over.
Even before Paras delivered the statement which got interesting reactions from some alumni, he also expressed his gratitude to his new alma mater - one which he said gave him his "third chance."
Paras admitted he was left perplexed by the reaction to his statements.
"I'm representing UP so it makes no sense to talk trash about them," said Paras, who is averaging 22.5 points and 6.0 rebounds through two games.
Rather than dwell on the social media chatter, Paras is focusing on what means more, which is to help the Fighting Maroons end a 33-year title drought.
"It's just chemistry. It's gonna boil down to that," Paras, who is turning 22 on Thursday, said after UP's 80-79 win over National University. "Games like this and the last game, this is what builds chemistry so I'm happy that we go up against great teams."
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