By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
MORE than just showcasing his mad skills in handling a basketball, 24-year-old Scalia Nethanial is into freestyle basketball for a deeper reason, that of using it as a platform to express himself and inspire others.
Born to a Malaysian father and a Filipino mother, Mr. Nethanial has been doing freestyle basketball for a decade now, becoming one of the top practitioners of it in Southeast Asia.
It is something that he takes pride in and looks to further build on moving forward with the grander view of putting the activity to the fore.
Mr. Nethanial, who currently works as an artist/performer and a social media executive in Kuala Lumpur, started doing freestyle basketball as a hobby before finding a bigger purpose for doing it as he progressed.
“I started in freestyle basketball by watching the AND1 Mixtapes. It was just a childhood hobby at first, but it turned into something so much bigger,” he said in an online interview with BusinessWorld.
“It’s a platform for me to express myself and just be free. It has definitely helped me get through so many tough times. I’m forever grateful for what this sport/art form has done for me.”
While he has done organized basketball, Mr. Nethanial shared that it is in freestyle basketball that he found his calling as it cultivated the “artist” in him.
“Yes, I have played organized basketball but freestyle basketball is more of a performance. It is an art form that allows us to be free with the basketball. It has nothing to do with an actual basketball game. It’s like dancing, but with a ball. So there’s performances, battles, and stuff that’s similar to dancing,” he said.
Mr. Nethanial’s dedication to his craft also has taken him to different places and allowed him to meet a lot of people, including his freestyle basketball idols Grayson “The Professor” Boucher and Philip Champion, aka “Hot Sauce.”
The Philippines is one of the places he likes to visit, not only because he calls it home as well but also for how basketball is well loved here and how receptive the Filipinos are of what he is doing.
“I have performed freestyle basketball and played streetball games in the Philippines. It’s great. They’re so passionate about the basketball culture over there. I love them,” said Mr. Nethanial, whose mother was born in Pangasinan.
Ten years or so in freestyle basketball, Mr. Nethanial said he is not done in it.
He recognizes that while he has gone far in doing freestyle basketball, it can still be taken to another plane.
“I was doing freestyle basketball shows for free at first. I’d do street performances and things like that. But the one thing I guess I did differently from the other freestylers was I worked really hard to get my performances on bigger platforms and to more people,” he said.
“I was always looking at the bigger picture. Like how am I able to continue doing this 5-10 years from now and maintain that consistency. I didn’t wanna limit my performances to just basketball-related events. So I’ve done concerts, festivals, product launches, half-time shows, fashion shows, TV shows and so on. Just grateful to be able to last this long,” Mr. Nethanial added.
Considering the success he has had in freestyle basketball, is it something he would recommend to others as a career path to take? Mr. Nethaniel said “Yes,” especially if one’s passion lies in it, but underscored the need to be smart about it.
“To be honest, if you’re passionate about something, go for it. I’d definitely encourage anyone out there to go for their dreams, but at the same time, be smart about it,” he said.
“Have plans. Have short-term and long-term goals. Understand what you’re trying to achieve. Then prepare for life outside of basketball. I’m able to do it this long because my life outside of basketball is pretty stable. It definitely helps.”
