Alyssa Valdez heartbroken for failing to see idol Lebron James up close and personal

EVEN Alyssa Valdez is a fan herself.

The Ateneo volleyball superstar was left brokenhearted after failing to see in the flesh her idol Lebron James on Thursday night during the Nike Rise Tour at the Mall of Asia Arena.

And blame it on the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila.

“Ay grabe hindi ako umabot,” said the 22-year-old Valdez, a certified LBJ fan. “Sa buong EDSA ako na-traffic.”

Everything else had been planned, according to her.

Shortly after the Lady Eagles’ practice at Ateneo in Katipunan concluded at 7:30 p.m., the charming volleybelle immediately packed her bags and rushed to MOA in Pasay.

But then the traffic condition didn’t cooperate.

Valdez said she was just 1.2 kilometers away from the venue when she heard the event was over and James, the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player of the Cleveland Cavaliers, already left the building.

“Andon na ako sa huling stop light pag lampas ng Roxas Boulevard. ‘Yung pag nag-left ka, pa-Cavite na,” she recalled. “Tapos nalaman ko na tapos na, wala na siya.”

“Naiyak nga ako eh,” he said with a hearty laugh. “Naluha ako.”

As per google.com, it would normally take 45 minutes without traffic to get to MOA Arena from Ateneo via AH26 or 50-52 minutes if the route is through AH26-EDSA or EDSA.

Unfortunately, Valdez took two and a half hours travelling from Katipunan to Pasay.

The Nike Rise Tour ended at around 10 p.m.