Malick the Filipino

The Philippines is a long way from Senegal.

- By BILL VELASCO

Still, basketball has provided a bridge between the two countries, and the result is a newly-minted Filipino named Malick Diouf. From his humble origins to unpredicted rise in local basketball, this soft-spoken seven-footer has earned the love of his adoptive homeland.“I was saying I don’t know anything about Philippines,” Diouf recalls. “I had a friend who had been playing here. He said: “As a brother, I think you can play here. And you can also study.”

That simple promise of a better life led Malick to a 26-hour flight to the country. He never expected basketball to be huge here.