A lot of boxes were checked!
Last September, RJ Abarrientos decided to take his talents to the Japan B.League to suit up for the Shinshu Brave Warriors. It was a bold move for the reigning Korean Basketball League (KBL) Rookie of the Year, considering he’d be jumping into a totally new environment again.
Thankfully, he’s got a Filipino teammate in Matthew Aquino to help him out.
Now 14 games into the season, the sweet-shooting 24-year-old seems to have done well enough for him to get a reward that would make any basketball-loving individual utter the proverbial “sana all.”
On Wednesday, Abarrientos shared on Instagram not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, but many boxes from Nike, which contained an abundance of footwear and apparel.
Of course, he had to put Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas is You" as the background music for his Instagram Story.
In another post, RJ had to flex his swooshes, which drew reactions from a few other Filipino hoopers.
“May nawawalang isa,” joked KBL star Rhenz Abando.
Abarrientos' former FEU Tamaraws backcourt mate Ljay Gonzales, meanwhile, straight-up asked to have one of the new kicks.
“Pahingi ako isa, pre,” Gonzales requested.
“Sige, wait kita sa Japan,” the quick-witted Abarrientos replied.
Aquino, meanwhile, went with a classic.
“Size 15 lang, pre. Thank you, God bless,” the Brave Warriors center commented.
With his gear taken care of, Abarrientos will get more pumped up in helping Shinshu improve on its 4-10 record. He is currently averaging 7.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
He exploded for 24 markers when the Brave Warriors defeated AJ Edu and the Toyama Grouses last November 5.
(PM)