Despite all the games he won, the awards he captured, there’s still one thing that NLEX guard Robert Bolick wishes to accomplish: Being a perfect father.
Bolick couldn’t help but share the joy of fatherhood, a wonderful blessing that comes at the peak of his high-powered career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Bolick said becoming a first-time father wasn’t easy. In fact, it entailed a major sacrifice when he turned his back on a multi-million contract with the Fukushima Firebonds in Japan B.League after finding out that his wife, Cassandra, was 10 months pregnant.
Actually, Bolick could have easily stayed in Japan while they were preparing to welcome the newest member of their family. But the grueling nature of the league’s home-and-away format made it tough for him to stay.
In the end, he opted to fly home and play for the Road Masters while taking care of his wife, who eventually delivered a bouncing baby boy — Zachary Wardell Robert.
“As what Coach Frankie (Lim) told me: Being a father will change your perspective in life,” said Bolick, who doesn’t have any regret after walking away from a rich Japanese contract.
“Coach even told me to hire a nanny so that we won’t get tired. But we decided not to.”
Bolick said the hard decision was worth it.
While fulfilling his role as a professional basketball player by going to practices, lifting weights, watching films and playing in ultra-competitive games, Bolick said he makes sure that everything will be taken care of every time he gets home.
At home, he is not Robert Bolick — the PBA superstar. He is Robert Bolick — the father.
“She’s (Cassandra) is making sacrifices because she knows how important basketball is for me. She lets me get enough sleep so that I will be at my best for practices and games the following day,” Bolick said, adding that having Cassandra and Zachary on his mind every time he steps on the court had yielded positive results.
“They’re my inspiration. Whenever I come home from practice, I always try to watch our baby,” he said.
During the eliminations of the Philippine Cup, Bolick led the league in scoring and assists with 27.4 points and 7.0 assists laced with 5.6 rebounds in 10 games. He even erupted for 38 points in a tough 72-76 loss to Rain or Shine on 3 May, a performance that happened a day after failing to get enough sleep to attend to his baby’s needs.
With his impressive performance, he could have easily won the Best Player of the Conference honors but the Road Warriors failed to reach the semifinals, paving the way for June Mar Fajardo to secure the title — his 10th — after leading San Miguel Beer to the best-of-seven finals series against Meralco.
But for Bolick, at this point, all the awards, all the contracts do not matter.
All he cares about is one thing: To be a perfect father.
And it’s a game he is trying to win since Baby Zachary arrived.