Daughter of 5th FIBA President visits the FIBA headquarters

MIES – Elly Puyat, the youngest daughter of FIBA’s 5^th President, Gonzalo Puyat II, visited the FIBA World Headquarters to find out more about the federation her father had presided over and to share a few memories.

When Elly Puyat scheduled an appointment with a surgeon for a knee injury, she did not know she was about to meet one of her late father’s friends. Jose Raul C. Canlas, member of the FIBA Medical Commission since 1998, quickly made the link between Elly and her father.

“They don’t do sportsmen like you father anymore” said Canlas. “He was a pioneer in basketball and helped me start my career. But most of all, he was a very good man” insisted the surgeon.

Elly was touched by this tribute and when he suggested she should go visit the House of Basketball in Mies, she changed her European plans to accommodate the trip.

“My father would have loved it here” said the Filipino, “Basketball was his whole life, it was even mentioned on his gravestone”.

Elly, who was born at the beginning of the honorary FIBA President’s reign, explained that she did not remember too much of that time. “But it was talked about a lot, while my parents were traveling we had to stay home. When they came back they told us the stories”.

“The most important thing the FIBA experience brought to my parents was the appreciation of different cultures” explained Elly, a value she was taught and was also able to experience with her job.

Surprisingly, Elly and her 2 sisters never played basketball themselves. “At the time, basketball wasn’t really played by women. But my father insisted on us playing team sports. He didn’t teach us basketball, but he taught us the spirit of sport and teamplay”, she explained.

The whole family did watch the most iconic games however, “we got to experience the electric atmosphere, we were in the crowd. When we saw the flag hanging and the Philippines playing, it was a different feeling and experience, I loved it” remembered Elly.

She also enjoyed the FIBA Headquarters very much, taking photos of her father’s seat in the stands and his portrait in the President’s office.

“This trip is about my dad” she explained, “I’m proud that he is part of basketball history, especially in my country. He led the BAP (Basketball Association of the Philippines) for almost 25 years, played on his college team and even owned a team”.