During our broadcast of the Lakers-Magic series in Orlando, I once mentioned the significant number of Laker fans inside the Amway Arena. By simply spotting the gold and purple shirts scattered in the venue, one can conclude that Laker Love is alive in downtown Orlando. I added that surely thousands more cheer for the Lakers back in the Philippines. In response, my broadcast partner the venerable “Dr. J” Andy Jao quipped, “Marami din kasi tayong mga kababayan na nakatira sa L.A. so there is a natural connection with the Lakers.”

With all due respect to Dr. J, I think Laker Love in the Filipino context is more than just a discussion on geography and mass immigration.

Consider how the 1980’s Showtime Lakers (and its fierce rivalry with the Boston Celtics) permanently placed the team, the league and its superstars on the worldwide map. There is an entire generation of forty-somethings and thirty-somethings in the Philippines who got hooked to the NBA thanks to Magic Johnson’s glitzy fastbreaks.

Remember too that the Lakers stormed into our consciousness at the height of basketball nirvana in Metro Manila. Consider some of the decade’s watershed moments in hoops:

• 1986 Ginebra’s rise to prominence under Robert Jaworski
• 1986 UP wins UAAP title with Joe Lipa, Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc et al
• 1986 Emergence of Mama’s Love and Cebuano invasion in PABL
• 1987 Ateneo wins UAAP championship over powerhouse UE
• 1987 The first sighting of Air Jordan sneakers in Manila
• 1988 Purefoods enters the PBA
• 1988 Ateneo vs DLSU first-ever Finals duel in the UAAP
• 1988 Powerhouse San Sebastian wins NCAA
• 1988 Anejo vs Purefoods All-Filipino Finals
• 1989 PBA “Jaworski passes to Fernandez” All-Star Game

In the midst of Philippine hardcourt frenzy, the Lakers competed for the NBA championship in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989. During the apex of Lakers’ Showtime, Filipinos got to know Magic, Kareem, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Kurt Rambis and Byron Scott through live coverage on the Far Eastern Network (FEN) if you had the UHF antenna at home or through delayed coverage on GMA-7.

The Lakers, because of their high-octane brand of play, produced as many lovers as haters. Many loved watching 3-on-1 bust-outs featuring Magic in the middle, Worthy on the right wing and Scott on the left side. For a change of pace, the Lakers would revert to the classiest weapon in all of basketball: Kareem’s Skyhook. If the slam dunk is RUN-DMC, the skyhook is Miles Davis. The combination of speed, style and suave made the Lakers a primetime show.

Others, however, found the Lakers too brash, cocky and self-assured. Pat Riley had too much slick on his hair. Kareem was too old. Rambis was too dorky. Cooper was too thin. Worthy was too good. Magic, as a bullying point guard, was too big and was therefore an abberation. Many ultimately believed the Lakers were too Hollywood. And Hollywood was never synonymous with selflessness, team work and blue-collar charm.

So you now have an entire generation of forthy-somethings and thiry-somethings who either grew up loving Showtime at the Fabulous Forum or matured with the chant “Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!” constantly ringing in their ears.

Those who instantly fell in love with the Lakers became Laker Lovers for life. Those who loathed the purple and gold cheered for Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Joe Dumars, Ralph Sampson, Tom Chambers and the ultimate Laker-killer Michael Jordan. Jordan not only beat the Lakers in the 1991 Finals, he finished the Showtime era and started his own.

Throughout the Jordan years, the Lakers remained dormant, content with playoff appearances and anchoring the franchise on Cedric Ceballos. Laker Nation in the Philippines gave way to the crushing tide of Jordan worshippers. The sons of Showtime hid in the shadows quietly accepting season after season of discontent. Then all of a sudden, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal arrived reviving both Laker die-hards and detractors. The Kobe-Shaq era produced three NBA titles and lifetime’s worth of winning shots and off-the-court intrigue.

Enter the age of Phil, Kobe, Lamar and Pau. Last week, over 100,000 fans joined the Lakers in their victory parade in downtown Los Angeles down Figueroa Avenue all the way to the LA Memorial Coliseum. Thousands more joined the celebration all over the world. Meantime, Laker-loathers around the universe watched the event in silence hoping Lebron, Wade, Pierce, Yao, Chauncey and Howard will soon end this latest round of Hollywood Madness. MH