LeBron James' visit in Manila has been nothing but S-P-E-C-T-A-C-U-L-A-R. For the first time since sweeping through the NBA with his tomahawk dunks and eventually transforming into a full-fledged Champion, James finally made his touchdown in a country where hoops was not just a past-time, it's a religion.

But for whatever surreally overwhelming aura James brought to the Philippines with his first visit, James also realized that there's still a place he can call home outside the tropical city of South Beach.

In fact, setting aside the disparity in economic standard and more lavish lifestyle of American life, Philippines and Miami were not million of miles apart in hoops universe. Miami, as most everybody know, was the home of the greatest team in basketball right now - the Heat. On the hand, Manila was the Mecca of Asian basketball and probably the birthplace of the most intelligent basketball fans in the world.

From high-end sports bars to the most economically challenged slumps of the city, Manila cannot live a day without talking hoops, more so a day without James in everybody's conversation. And that was why James and Manila was pairing made in heaven.

Manila should be privileged to have James on board. On the other hand, James must be grateful for visiting such an incredibly loving place. Heck, James would have never been known more than a highlight machine and post-season under-achiever (This is true during his time with the Cavs) if not because of Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra, who pushed him to become a true champion and happens to be a proud Filipino.

James might be just a taste of what the NBA has in store for the city. Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, James Harden and Eric Gordon were all scheduled to hit the town later in the year. Then, there was the historic pre-season game between the up-and-coming Eastern Conference powerhouse Indiana Pacers and the Dwight Howard-powered Houston Rockets. However, when all these fanfare and hoopla all subside, there's only one thing that will stand out in the minds of every Filipino basketball fans. And it's James being a "witness" of the country's never-ending love affair with the sport.

Here are a couple of the pics of LBJ's Manila Visit:

James with his Filipino Fans (Photo By Fren Flojera)

Video of James playing hoops with college and pro stars in the Philippines (Courtesy of Rappler)