Drawing inspiration from a character in an animated film from 20 years ago, the Phoenix Fuel Masters forward slayed with a bold new look.
When Jason Perkins walked into the Le Parc Events Center in Pasay City on Monday afternoon for PBA Media Day, he instantly became a show-stopper. Several heads turned. His teammates openly laughed. His coach simply smiled and nodded in approval.
The Phoenix Fuel Masters forward, known for keeping his hair either cropped short or in corn rows, was sporting a new hairdo that can only be described as The Edna — in the little boss from the animated film The Incredibles.
Perkins said he happened to catch the movie the night before, and it gave him an idea.
“I was watching The Incredibles last night, and I saw Edna, and I thought of one word, swag,” he said.
For teammate Raffy Verano, though, Perkins’ new ‘do reminded him of someone else.
“I thought Jimmy Butler came to the Philippines real quick,” said the sophomore forward, referring to the Miami Heat star’s “emo” hairdo that he sported during last year’s NBA media day. “I thought he terminated his contract in Miami. So I thought we got Jimmy.”
Perkins said it took him around an hour for his stylist to finish his hair.
“I usually just get like razor cuts, fades and everything. But yeah, I got a new perception today of some people with long hair. It was my first time sitting in a salon, it was my first time going to a salon today, so that was kind of cool. But I liked it, it was enjoyable.”
His teammates and coach Jamike Jarin got a good laugh out of it, which, Perkins said, was his goal.
“Everyone laughed, I guess that was the point. Cheer everyone up a little bit, have everyone laugh. But yeah, they liked it. I might keep it, I’ll think about it. Maybe, let’s see how practice goes tomorrow. It’s kind of hard driving here because the bangs keep getting in my eyes, so I keep having to go like this. But it was okay, we’ll see.”
Jarin was just happy to see the team react positively and come together in laughter.
“I was looking at the players and they loved it. It’s just Jason Perkins being Jason Perkins. He’s always been an inspiration on and off the court. He’s a good guy, he’s a good player. Very good player, I mean.
“But if you really know Jason, he’s the greatest person you ever want to be with on and off the court. I trust all our players. If I see him like that, it doesn’t bother me because I know he has something in his mind why he did that. But it suits him.”
Rookie Kai Ballungay added: “This guy continues to surprise me, man. It’s crazy. He’s full of surprises.”
Verano said he hopes to see Perkins with this look at least until their first game. “I told him I want to see him, like at least in the first game, our opening game, I want him to have that hairdo.”
The Fuel Masters made some noise during last season’s Commissioner’s Cup, where they made a run to the semifinals. They’re hoping to build on that in PBA Season 49, which takes off on Aug. 18.
Perkins knows they need to get better to keep up with the rest of the league.
“Everyone’s going to practice, everyone’s staying in the gym early, staying late. But right now, we’re just taking it day by day, controlling what we control. There’s a lot of talented teams coming in. Meralco just won, a lot of teams are getting better, but so are we.
“So we’re just trying to stick to the process pretty much, listen to the coach on my direction as much as possible. Stay disciplined, and just keep working hard.”
Perkins is particularly excited about the rookie Ballungay, who was picked fourth overall in last month’s rookie draft.
“He’s really good,” Perkins said of the 6’7” wing. “He’s very athletic. He can shoot the lights out, and he works hard. He’s one of those early guys in the gym, he’s there two hours before practice, and he stays after practice. He’s doing cardio, conditioning, whatever the coaches have him do, or whatever he needs to do, he’s in there doing it. And especially for a young rookie, he’s very mature for his age, and I’m excited to see him play.”
After their surprising run to the Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, the Fuel Masters sputtered and failed to make the playoffs in the Philippine Cup. For Perkins, it was all about consistency, or a lack thereof.
“I need to be a better leader, I need to have a better attitude. And I need to be more consistent as well. Sometimes I’ll have good games, I’ll have 18 or 15, but even if I score the ball, there’s a lot of other stuff I need to be doing.
“And I think throughout last conference, I wasn’t doing that, I failed to do that. But this time around, I learned a big lesson from last conference, and I’m gonna try to build off that.”
But more than consistency, Perkins goes back to the advice a veteran gave him years ago, something that ties in with his new look.
“Gotta have some fun, especially being in a league for this long. Things get repetitive sometimes, you gotta make a little bit of a difference sometimes. And that’s something Joe Devance would always tell me.
“Just be yourself, have fun. It’s just a game, we’re very blessed to be here.”
Banner Image from Sid Ventura.
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