The Fix
Talk ‘N Text = Kainan? Fans stretch PBA comparisons to Slam Dunk on to finals
Shared by Twitter user @pjamremy_081817
Throughout the Commissioner’s Cup playoffs, the anime series Slam Dunk has been in the minds of PBA fans. It was mostly because of B-MEG power forward Marc Pingris, whose high-energy game resembled that of Slam Dunk protagonist Hanamichi Sakuragi. On the social networks, there have been many comparisons between PBA personalities and Slam Dunk characters, including a hilarious side-by-side picture of Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi with Shohoku’s soft-spoken Coach Anzai.
The comparisons continue, with reader Ron Mendoza sharing this photo comparing the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters with Shohoku opponent Kainan:
Shared by Twitter user @ronmendoza11
The analogy between the two teams may extend beyond sharing similar uniform colors (at least in their warm-ups; Kainan’s actual jerseys look similar to the Los Angeles Lakers’). Fans of the anime know that Kainan is the long-time regional basketball champion, and defeated Shohoku in the district tournament. If Shohoku’s B-MEG and Talk ‘N Text is Kainan, the question is, will the Commissioner’s Cup finals follow fiction? Or can Sakuragi and the rest of the Llamados break the trend?
