SLAM SPOTLIGHT: JON SEMIRA

SlamOnline

4 October 2013 at 2:59 am

What’s up SLAM PH readers, This is Jonathan Semira, 26 year old former San Sebastian guard and now playing for the Mississauga Power in the National Basketball League of Canada.

I was born in Toronto, Canada and I am full Filipino. I started playing ball at such a young age I can’t even remember. I was probably 6 or 7 years old.

When I came home to visit my family this summer, I heard of the Megacity Pro-Am League, and I wanted to play against some high level competition to stay in shape in the off-season. The league was filled with pro players and college guys, so I wanted to see how I stacked up against them. I played pretty good in the league, and that caught the eyes of the Mississauga Power. The Power then brought me to China for a tournament to play against the New Zealand national team, Cameroon national team and a professional Chinese team. I guess they liked what they saw over the course of the summer, and they decided to sign me.

Being the first Filipino in this league is an honor. I’m just trying to show the league that Filipinos can compete with the rest of the world.

I started out in the Philippines tho playing for San Sebastian College. Playing with the likes of Calvin Abueva, we won a championship in 2009. From then, I played in the PBA D-League for Cebuana Lhuillier, Cafe France and Fruitas Fruitshakers.

Being able to play at a high level in the Philippines and in Canada is a blessing, I can see the best of both worlds. The style of the game in the Philippines is a lot more physical and the “bigs” are smaller. In Canada, the players are more athletic and a lot bigger. It’s fun bringing my Filipino style of play into North America, because they aren’t used to it. I use it to my advantage.

This is only the start, I plan to ride this out for as long as I can, whether it’s in the NBL or in the Philippines. Basketball has been able to open a lot of doors for me, and I am truly blessed to play the game I love for a living.

The post SLAM SPOTLIGHT: JON SEMIRA appeared first on SLAMonline Philippines.

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