The ShamRock Garden in Ugong, Valenzuela City
(Photo courtesy of Cong. Eric Martinez’ Facebook account)
The Philippines is known for a passionate basketball country. In a nation full of Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors fans, a fantastic basketball court in Ugong, Valenzuela City is a place for the Celtics fans. This Celtics inspired court is dubbed ShamRock Garden.
You definitely know it’s a home court for the Celtic Nation as you see a massive image of Larry Bird greeting you at the entrance. Leading into the building is a staircase filled with historic posters of the greatest moments in Boston Celtics history. Similar to the TD Garden in Boston, a signature of the great Red Auerbach lies on its wooden court.
A Celtics inspired court is never complete without championship banners hanging in the rafters. Large photos of Celtics Hall of Famers like Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge, Kevin Mchale, and Bob Cousy can be seen throughout the building.
I recently visited this fantastic court and took some pictures. I wasn’t able to take pictures of the court because there was a private team practice going on.
This court opened on June 14, 2018, through the effort of Congressman Eric Martinez.
The great thing about ShamRock Center is it’s free to use. You get to embody and learn the great Celtics history while playing basketball.