Xian Lim: “Sa dinami-dami ng options ‘yon ang naisip ko.”
XIAN LIM — The actor recently revealed that he planned to pursue his basketball career in the Philippines before entering showbiz.
In an episode of “Updated With Nelson Canlas” podcast on Spotify, Xian shared that he wanted to play professional basketball in the Philippines after feeling like something was missing in his life.
Xian was still living in the United States with his mother and studying psychology at that time, but he decided to have a leap of faith and move to the Philippines.
“Sa dinami-dami ng options ‘yon ang naisip ko,” he said. “The only way to play pro, the biggest chance I have, was to go to the Philippines and play basketball.“
The actor started playing basketball when he was 14 years old and used it as an outlet after getting bullied when he was in middle school.
Xian started to think about aiming for something more when he was in college. In just a month after making up his mind, the actor and his mother moved to the Philippines for a new life.
He enrolled at the University of the East (UE), whose basketball program counts Paul Lee and James Yap among its alumni.
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However, the actor was surprised to learn that he had to serve 2 years of residency before he can play at the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines).
“Sabi nila hintay ka lang, training ka lang ng two years then maybe makakapasok ka,” he said. “Sabi ko hindi ko kaya, ano ba ang puwede kong gawin while waiting doon sa two years na ‘yon?“
That was when he entered show business as his mother used to model in the country and still had contacts in the showbiz industry. He never wore UE’s red-and-white jersey but he eventually became a household name in the Philippines.
Recently, Xian starred in the romantic comedy series “False Positive” with Kapuso actress Glaiza de Castro.
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