Invincible Bol

Bol Bol’s snubbing of post-game interviews is getting annoying.

Last Saturday, the towering Sudanese-American put on a show, dropping 50 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks to power TNT to a masterful 97-92 conquest of Titan Ultra in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup.

Of course sportswriters were excited to talk to him. And the fact that he did the feat with former National Basketball Association star Luol Deng — the president of South Sudan Basketball Federation — making a surprising appearance makes his post-game media availability session truly interesting.

But their excitement turned into dejection as Bol failed, or rather, refused to show up.

Actually, it wasn’t the first time for Bol to snub the reporters.

Shortly after making a successful debut in which he led TNT to a 103-97 win over NLEX, Bol was seen rushing to the tunnel to avoid the on-court interview with the broadcast panel. The PBA cracked the whip and fined him a minimal amount for being a first-time offender.

The message that the league sent appeared to work. After TNT’s 118-92 win over San Miguel Beer, Bol granted media interviews and even took time to pose for pictures and sign autographs for fans.

It turned out to be the first and, apparently, the last sighting of Bol in the press room. The 7-foot-3 giant was back to his snobbish ways when he dropped 35 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in their 101-89 victory over Terrafirma and when he erupted for 48 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks in their TNT’s 99-94 triumph over Blackwater.

Sure, Bol is just in his first overseas assignment. He is also not yet used to the culture of these basketball-crazy Filipinos despite being here for the past couple of months. Also, at 26 years old he still has enough gas to make a return to the NBA so, apparently, he is not yet willing to embrace the lonely life of a basketball journeyman.

So instead of granting interviews and mingling with fans, he would just quietly evade media attention, pay his fines and call it a day. After all, the reported penalty of P10,000 is peanuts compared to the salary he has been getting from Tropang 5G.

But it’s not the issue.

The issue here is that as a professional athlete, Bol is also an ambassador of his club and the company that is spending for its operations. Aside from the number of rebounds he pulled down or the number of shots he swatted, he is also being paid to serve as the face of the franchise and represent the company to the public.

Granting media interviews and interacting with fans isn't an optional "extra credit" assignment; it is a fundamental responsibility of the profession.

The media serves as a bridge between him and the fans. Whenever Bol skips an interview, he isn't just snubbing the reporters — he is silencing the narrative for the fans who are spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets and brave Metro Manila’s traffic just to see him play. And in a country where basketball is a religion, these fans don’t just come to watch the game; they also invest emotionally in the players.

By refusing to make himself available to the media, Bol is effectively closing the bridge, sending a message to the fans that they are not part of his basketball journey while happily collecting his massive salary that was derived from the marketing initiative and popularity of his club. Ironic, isn’t it?

It’s time for Bol to stop evading media interviews. He should keep in mind that greatness is measured not just by how many points you can score or how many rebounds you can grab, but by how well you connect with those who are treating you as their idol and role model.

It’s time for Bol to untangle that attitude and give the fans the engagement they deserve.