Manny Aranez, founder and commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in Winnipeg, is among those who will be inducted into the 2021 Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame.

PHOTO FROM MANITOBA BASKETBALL/ MANILA BULLETIN

"Something like this is unexplainable," Aranez said on CBC Manitoba's Weekend Morning Show on Saturday.

"I'm so honored (to be) representing the Filipino basketball," he added.

Aranez founded the local PBA in 2001.

It started with just seven teams. Now, it has more than 114 teams in 14 divisions.

"I was surprised the year after it became 10. So from there, it just grows and grows and grows," Aranez told CBC.

Aranez, dubbed as the "patriarch of Filipino basketball," also talked about his love for the game and thanked everyone who helped him get to where he is now.

"I fell in love with basketball and played almost every single day. From morning, before going to school, and in the afternoon until it's dark," said Aranez, who started playing basketball at the age of 12, in the video from Manitoba Basketball.

"The reason why I'm here right now is because of my committees, my volunteers. They are the ones that put me here. The support, the trust, and confidence they've given me is outpouring, very tremendous," he added.

Aranez was also elected as the commissioner of the Filipino Basketball Association of North America from 2014 to 2018.

The Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame has three categories of inductees namely the players, builders, and teams.

Aranez will be inducted under the builders category of the Hall of Fame.

The official induction ceremony will be on September 25, 2021, at the Victoria Inn.

Other inductees this year are Shawn Gray, Joanne Wells-Small, Ray Hurd, John Klassen, Randy Kusano, plus two teams — the Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate Raiders and the Treherne Collegiate Tigers.

#Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame

Filipino leader in Winnipeg to be inducted into Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame