FOR Andre Paras, it's time critics stop bashing his brother Kobe from a comment he made about his career years ago.
In 2018, the younger Paras tweeted "I'm going pro" announcing his departure from US NCAA team Cal State Nothridge. A month later, his mentor, Reggie Theus, a former NBA player got fired and Paras decided to go back to the Philippines.
READ Kobe Paras, Japan team Altiri Chiba part ways 'by mutual agreement'
Since then, that particular Kobe quote has become a meme used by netizens as a punch line on multiple topics everytime Kobe makes it to the headlines, and Andre thinks it needs to stop.
"I hardly use my FB page to browse, but I stumbled across posts about my brother. Like anyone else, I got deep into the comment section. (Yes before you guys post anything about someone they do read those things as well. I guess that’s why some of you hide behind fake accounts) anyway, there’s a common comment that people until now make fun of. It’s the 'I’m going pro' he mentioned years ago. Until now some of you still believe the fake news and rumors people made about it," he said.
"People are still making fun of him when he said he’s going pro. Which he did right? he played in the B.League for 2 years."
That meme was revived again amid news that Kobe, on a basketball sabbatical since his last campaign in Japan, was making a comeback via Marikina in the MPBL, according to unverified Facebook sports pages.
The same FB pages claim Kobe will join the PBA draft in July.
Andre, who retired after playing one season with Blackwater in the PBA, said the meme itself has nothing to stand on since Kobe really turned pro when he played in Japan.
Kobe was among the pioneering batch of Filipino players in the Japan B.League, where he spent two seasons, one with Niigata Aibirex and another with Altiri Chiba.
Andre continued: "When he said 'pro' everyone started making news that it was the NBA. So just like how fake news and rumors go, people started hating on him just because he didn’t go to the NBA, which technically he didn’t even mention he would do.
Andre added: "At the end of everything he did manage to make it to the pros. It’s just that people still are caught up with the rumors and fake news people created around him. basically 'your expectations, your disappointments'."
No to fake news
Andre reminded netizens to filter the information they consume online to prevent misinformation.
"What hurts more is that people were able to monetize the fake news and rumors. They just want to be the first to put out the news and don’t care about what will happen next. so before you guys believe in anything make sure it does come from a reliable source. I’m just replying now to this stuff because people won’t stop using his name for clout. Anyway, that’s pretty much it. I’m all for sports news as long as it’s all legit."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
