INDIANAPOLIS — Hong Kong native Phil Ip doesn’t usually take spontaneous trips. But after the Indiana Pacers took a 3-1 series lead over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, Ip’s best friend encouraged the longtime Pacers fans to make the 8,800-mile trip to Indianapolis for the NBA Finals.
“I am usually very planned for trips like these, but once the Knicks lost, I started looking for plane tickets and hotels,” Ip said. “My best friend, Andy (Wang), encouraged me to go, so I talked to my boss and he said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
The spontaneity didn’t stop there.
Ip scheduled his return trip from Indianapolis to Hong Kong the day after Game 6 of the NBA Finals. When that day came, Ip was in Oklahoma City.
“I was thinking of joining the (Game 7) watch party at Gainbridge (Fieldhouse) but decided to fly to OKC to witness history,” Ip said.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Pacers in Game 7 to capture the team’s first NBA championship. Despite the loss, Ip said he had “no regrets” after traveling across the globe to watch the Pacers play in their first NBA Finals since 2000.
‘As a Pacers fan (in Hong Kong), it’s not easy’
Ip vividly remembers his 6-year-old self watching Pacers guard Mark Jackson’s turnaround halfcourt shot against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the 2000 NBA Finals from his Hong Kong home.
That finals series was the first time Ip watched basketball. He gravitated toward the Pacers because they played more like a team with Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, Jackson and company compared to the two-man Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
With a 12-hour time difference to Indianapolis, it was hard for Ip to watch the Pacers growing up, as most games were played during his morning commute to school. To accommodate his fandom, Ip would go to his high school’s IT room and log on to ESPN to view Pacers box scores from the previous night or open new tabs on classroom computers to read about player transactions.
“I had to see how my team was doing,” Ip said with a laugh.
Ip maintained his support for the Pacers through elementary and high school in a region where most NBA fans favor larger-market teams like the Lakers or Boston Celtics. His in-depth discussions about the Pacers were limited to his dad or close friends.
“In Hong Kong, it’s not like the NBA is a big thing. So, as a Pacers fan, it’s not easy for people to understand,” Ip said. “They didn’t have the shared experience I did as a Pacers fan, which didn’t really offer me a chance to showcase my support to the team. It’s really difficult, to be honest.”
A self-proclaimed introvert, Ip doesn’t mind cheering on the Pacers alone and never let a lack of communal support impinge his own. However, Ip admitted that comparisons to other fanbases creeps in at times.
“Sometimes I wonder how they are happy that they have someone to talk to about their team and fandom,” Ip said. “But from the other side, I’m inspired by my own experience and won’t give up supporting the Pacers because others may not understand or share my story. I can’t celebrate loudly in Hong Kong but will continue to in my own little bowl.”
Ip was able to celebrate loudly when he went to England for college.
Where Ip’s love for the Pacers flourished
From 2004 to 2011, when Ip enrolled at the University of Bristol, the Pacers didn’t finish above sixth in the Eastern Conference. Led by Paul George, Indiana made the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2012 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014.
The Pacers lost each series to the Miami Heat. For Ip, each loss came with sorrow and contention within Ip’s flat.
Ip and his flatmate, Johnson Tam, would go to sleep at 8 p.m. and wake up after midnight to watch the Pacers and Heat. With Ip in his George or Danny Granger jersey and Johnson in his James jersey, the two didn’t withhold their emotions and often argued over missed calls and coaches’ decisions. Sometimes, the friction caused malice between the two.
“It was just us two. Our other roommates couldn’t care less,” Johnson said. “Each basket from first to fourth (quarter), it would be a bunch of screaming.”
Although Ip and Johnson were foes, Ip appreciated the opportunity to support his team freely.
Finally, he didn’t have to celebrate the Pacers from his “own little bowl.”
“Looking back, it was kind of immature how we screamed at each other,” Ip said with a laugh. “But it was just two guys supporting their teams.
”Johnson had the last laugh, though, because LeBron always won.”
At Bristol, Ip and Johnson religiously watched regular-season Pacers games as well. Ip always wore his Pacers jersey with house slippers when tuning into Indiana. The look became a staple.
With the NBA Finals approaching, the flatmate WhatsApp group chat joked that if Indiana were to have defeated the Thunder, Ip would’ve paraded through Indianapolis in the same outfit.
“Fans in Hong Kong idolized Kobe and don’t consider the Pacers. I respect him more for liking a team that’s not the typical well-known team. My hats off this year, and it paid off this year.” Johnson said. “His fandom also shows who he is as a person. It’s great to watch him follow his dream and watch the Pacers.”
‘Indiana solidified my belief that basketball can bring people together’
A shocked Ip fumbled his phone when he appeared on the jumbotron at Gainbridge during Game 6. But with a sign that disclosed how many miles he flew to attend the game, the Pacers fanbase now knew of Ip’s commitment to the team.
To Andy Wang, Indiana got a taste of loyalty that’s long existed within Ip.
“From regular rocking of Pacers gear and player edition shoes, and even flashing his support on an LED display at a club while popping bottles, Phil’s fandom runs deep,” Chan said. “Over 20 years of unwavering loyalty speak volumes about who he is — selfless, team-oriented and deeply committed.
“Like the current Pacers squad, he values collaboration over ego, always playing for the team and not for personal glory. Even when former players like Paul George move on, he supports them, showing that his love for the team goes beyond the jersey — it’s about the people and the journey.”
The Pacers’ selfless style of play upholds Ip’s fandom for the team. He said this year’s roster was the “most well-balanced” Pacers team assembled and credited bench players like T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin for “stepping up” and contributing to the team’s success with their efforts.
During his week-long trip to Indianapolis, Ip learned how much the fans played a role in the Pacers’ success. Ip didn’t expect to encounter such a passionate fanbase when he traveled to Indiana.
He departed understanding that Indiana’s love for basketball includes an endearment toward its global body of supporters. Because local Pacers fans made him “feel like family,” Ip hopes to return to Indianapolis.
”Coming from Hong Kong, it’s very rare and uncommon to see an entire fanbase so closely bonded by a basketball team. It’s unfathomable,” Ip said. “Blacks, whites, different races, ages and walks of life, and even though we may not have shared commonalities, people in Indiana love basketball and solidified my belief that basketball can bring people together.”
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