AS far as I am concerned, Carlo Reyes Singson, the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) associate vice president and first managing director of NBA PH, is the NBA logo.
Since the early 2000s when the NBA first began doing fan events in the Philippines, Carlo was the name and face of the global league in the country, a one-man planning-scouting-marketing-goodwill machine who blazed the trail to bring the NBA closer to the hearts of Pinoy fans of all ages.
I first met him in 2004 when the NBA brought the Laker Girls to Manila for an interactive show at the SM Megamall Parking Lot in Pasig, a year after the NBA had teased the fancy of local basketball fans with a similar tour by the Golden State Warriors Dancers.
After that, the size and extent of the NBA presence in the country grew both in size and definition, surprising basketball fans with different NBA talents, activities and means of engagement each year. Carlo, who was then NBA Asia’s Hong Kong-based country manager for the Philippines, was the face of the NBA for the millions of Filipino NBA fans.
From the mall-based NBA Madness events that took place from 2003 to 2011, to the birth of the Jr. NBA Philippines program in 2007, to the influx of NBA legends in a two-year basketball extravaganza called NBA Asia Challenge, to the introduction of the NBA’s health and wellness initiative, NBA Fit, and the exciting three-on-three basketball tournament, NBA 3X, to the climactic and historic NBA Global Games, the first ever official off-season game to be held in the Philippines in 2013 between the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers, to the ultimate establishment of an NBA office in the Philippines in 2015 to more and more NBA initiatives each year, Carlo Singson was at the center of each event, driving the stakes higher and reaching out to more and more basketball fans all over the country.
Carlo was the perfect NBA person to relate to—warm and direct, perennially smiling, always accommodating, with a sharp mind always open to ideas and possibilities, a “why not?” attitude, and the drive and stamina to see things through. He forged partnerships with brands and institutions tirelessly, ensuring the growth of the league and specific programs like the Jr. NBA whose All-Stars alumni now dominate the collegiate leagues and have also begun to populate the pro leagues.
He brought a parade of NBA talents that saw for themselves just how much passion Filipinos have for the game of basketball. He introduced NBA products to the country like the NBA Store and NBA Café that grew the fever even more.
From 2003 to 2019, the NBA dazzled basketball crazy fans with this long list of talents: The Warriors Dancers (2003), The Laker Girls (2004), Dwight Howard, Luke Walton, the Houston Rockets Power Dancers (2005), Andre Ingoudala, Channing Fry, the San Antonio Silver Dancers and team mascot Harry the Hawk (2006), Jerry Stackhouse, The Mavs Dancers and Mavs Man (2007), Malik Rose, The Sacramento Kings Dance Team and Rufus Lynx (2008), Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Dominique Wilkins, Tim Hardaway, Robert Horry and Valde Divac (2009).
There were BJ Armstrong, Chris Webber, Gary Payton, Glen Rice, Mitch Richmond and Coach Erik Spoelstra (2010), AC Green, Horace Grant, the New York Knicks Dancers, Clyde Drexler, the Orlando Magic and the Portland Trailblazers Dance Teams (2011), Luc Longley, Brook Lopez, The Charlotte Lady Cats Dancers and Stuff the Magic Dragon (2012), Mugsy Bogues, James Harden, Eric Gordon, Ron Harper, the Indiana Pacemates, Grizz, the Memphis Grizzlies mascot, Matt Bonner, the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers teams and dancers, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Jalen Rose, Drexler and Horry again (2013), Gordon Hayward, Tina Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, Wesley Johnson, the Toronto Dance Pak, Slamson the Lion, Avery Johnson, Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews and Rocky the Mountain Lion, Darryl Dawkins and Rip Hamilton (2014).
Add Nerlens Noel, Ruth Riley, Kenneth Faried, Danny Green, the Golden State Warriors Dance Team, Franklin the Phildelphia 76ers mascot, Khris Middleton, Alec Burks, Brian Shaw, Horace Grant, Jordan Clarkson and Trey Burke (2015), Norris Cole, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Gary Payton, Michael Carter-Williams, Dee Brown, Brandon Knight and Kevin Martin (2016), Elfrid Payton, Sue Wicks, Dikembe Mutombo, Steven Adams, Reggie Theus, the Lakwer Girls, Glenn Rice, Brook Lopez and Caron Butler (2017), Willie Cauley- Stein, Sheryl Swoopes, Bruce Bowen, Tim Hardaway, Brian Scalabrine, the Detroit Pistons Dunk Crew and Alonzo Mourning (2018) and Collin Sexton, Ticha Penicheiro, Muggsy Bogues and Montae Morris (2019).
Carlo Singson welcomed them all to his country with the charm and pizzazz of basketball royalty. On Friday, Carlo steps down from his post in the NBA after 22 years of distinguished service. It’s the end of an era for the NBA in the Philippines and the beginning of a new one. Whoever succeeds him will feel like he/she’s stepping into Shaquille ONeal’s or Bob Lanier’s Size 20 shoes. He left such big shoes to fill.