Trophy Tour creates a buzz in the land of Boricuas

SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) – The Trophy Tour presented by J9 was a smash hit in Puerto Rico.

The Naismith Trophy on June 30 and remained in the country for a few days, making numerous appearances on television. It was also taken to well-known spots on the island to be photographed.

Coliseo Roberto Clemente

That international basketball’s biggest prize would generate so much interest in Puerto
Rico came as no surprise.

The Boricuas will be making their 10th consecutive appearance at FIBA’s flagship event when they travel to Manila.

For the first four hours of the tour stop, WAPA TV Studios had the trophy on several programs: News Magazine Show, Los Datos son los datos, News Cast – Noti Centro; Guerreros Extremos and La Linea Deportiva.

On the second day of the tour stop, it was taken to the several famous locations, like the Castillo San Cristóbal (below) – the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World which was finished in 1783.

The trophy was taken to Cuartel de Ballaja (below), a historic building and former military barracks located in the Ballajá section of Old San Juan. It is now a museum and cafes and regularly hosts concerts.
Cuartel de Ballaja

Next was a visit to Casas de los Colores (below), a neighborhood built outside of the city walls in the 19th century by slaves and homeless, who were then not allowed to live inside the walls. Today it is a big attraction for tourists and foreign investors.

Casas de los Colores

Next up was Plaza Barandilla, the popular square between San Francisco Church and Carlos Albizu University.

Plaza Barandilla

Where does one go to sample the casual, laid back culture of San Juan? That would be Puerta de la Bandera, which is where the trophy was photographed next.

Puerta de la Bandera

Organizers of the Trophy Tour in San Juan next went to Plaza del Totem (below), a modern square in Old San Juan that was inaugurated in 1992 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the European Discovery and Spanish conquest of Puerto Rico and the Americas.

The totem is seen behind trophy

The totem is made from broken fragments of ceramic vases and other types of clay pottery from the Americas.

El Morro seen in the distance

El Morro is a citadel built between the 16th and 18th centuries as countries fought for control of this tiny yet strategic island for centuries.

The trophy returned to WAPA TV Studios (below) at the end of the day and appeared on the newscast on the main channel, and also on La Linea Deportiva.