By CARLO ANOLIN
Rain or Shine guard Kris Rosales is eager to learn more about his Filipino roots.
Rosales, who was born and raised in California, has been practicing to converse with his teammates in the native Filipino language.
And he just continues to improve over time.
On Saturday, the Filipino-American was put on test by his teammates Javee Mocon and Clint Doliguez in a new gimmick in the PBA bubble in Clark, Pampanga.
Dubbed as “Tagalog 101/Rosalessons,” Rosales attempted to use the word “maanghang” in a Tagalog sentence, which meant “spicy.”
“Mahilig ako sa maanghang… na pagkain… kasi sobrang sarap,” said the 29-year-old Rosales, with few pauses in between, in their hotel room at Quest Hotel in Mimosa.
Mocon and Doliguez approved nonetheless, giving Rosales an “A+” and “A” grade respectively.
Rosales has been playing basketball at a young age in his hometown in Bellflower, California. Before getting drafted into the PBA, Rosales had suited up for the Jumbo Plastic Linoleum Giants and Tanduay Light Rhum Masters in the PBA D-League.
He was recruited by the Singapore Slingers in the ASEAN Basketball League in 2015 before starting his PBA career the same year with the TNT KaTropa.
Initially drafted by the Phoenix Fuel Masters, formerly of the Barako Bull Energy, the team was unable to sign the Fil-Am cager due to the team’s heavy guard rotation.
