Why LeBron James greeted Magnolia Hotshots’ import Romeo Travis

October 4, 2018 - 2:48 PM
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LeBron James( second from the left) and Magnolia Hotshots import Romeo Travis (second from the right) on their high school team. (Lionsgate/photo release)

Magnolia Hotshots import Romeo Travis received a message of congratulations from his childhood buddy LeBron James after putting up a near-triple double effort on Wednesday night.

Travis’ 32 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists for the Hotshots in their 113-95 victory over the Columbian Dyip drew raves not just from the usual PBA crowd but also from his former teammate, the King himself.

“Way to work, my brother!!!” three-time NBA champion James wrote in a tweet congratulating Travis.

Travis is the 2015 PBA Governor’s Cup Best Import and has been averaging stellar numbers for the Hotshots so far in the conference with 22.7 points, 16 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.

He has been crucial in leading the Hotshots to a 5-1 slate in the Governor’s Cup, tied for first place with the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

He and James were former teammates at the St.Mary—St.Vincent High School in Akron, Ohio.

 

Tingnan ang post na ito sa Instagram

 

Back in 03 imagine if I never met the broskis @chillwill03 @druondemand @kingjames @siancotton_

Isang post na ibinahagi ni Romeo Travis (@rometrav) noong

The pair were part of the 2003 Fighting Irish squad that dominated the youth basketball scene in the state of Ohio and later won the Division II state championship and later on the National Championships.

While James went on to be picked first overall straight from high school in the NBA draft that year, Travis chose to play college basketball at the University of Akron.

Travis then went on to establish a storied career playing for various European clubs and played for the Alaska Aces of the PBA in 2015.  James meanwhile won four regular season MVPs and three NBA championships playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

While it was only James who made it to the NBA, his love for his high school teammates can be easily gleamed from their many reunions documented on social media and a book he co-authored recounting his experiences with the team.

A documentary on the team titled “More Than a Game” was released in 2008.

He made his much-awaited debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, putting up 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in a little over 15 minutes during the Lakers’ 124-107 preseason loss to the Denver Nuggets.