“Mr. Long Bomb” Harmz Hui has played the social media game to get to the pros, but how long will his Cinderella run last?

If you’re a Filipino basketball fan and you’ve never heard of “Mr. Long Bombowl game,” count yourself blessed.

The man who gave himself this rather audacious moniker, a basketball content creator named Harmz Hui, finagled his way to the pros (though not at the top of the industry) by amassing enough notoriety on social media through ridiculous long-range shots and even more insane statlines (such as an apparent 177-point game in something called the Moonwalk Basketball League). The word on the street is that he would pay off the players alongside and opposite him on the court so he can get these looks and rack up the numbers.

The reactions from the Pinoy basketball world were swift and vicious, mostly because this basketball-crazy country takes its pro idols and their work seriously. The go-to Facebook or TikTok comment about Hui is that he’s “special” or “abnormal,” when his interviews don’t really give any hints of any developmental disorders.

The reactions from the Pinoy basketball world were swift and vicious, mostly because this basketball-crazy country takes its pro idols and their work seriously

Instead, some second-hand stories suggest he’s really doing all of the “Mr. Long Bomb” stuff for the clout and the rage, as he’s reportedly a somewhat nice fellow off-camera. This theory is supported by controversial statements he would make that would get him reactions—and a suspension from the league he plays in. Not to mention the fact that he has 102,000 followers on Facebook and TikTok each.

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@mr.longbombSentruhan malala!!!!♬ original sound – Mr. Longbomb Official

All the attempts to gain clout have seemingly worked in his favor, as he would pay his way to join the Pilipinas Super League (PSL), a smaller professional league that, well, is still considered the pros.

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But it didn’t take long for the pro level of the game to expose Hui, as he would complain about tough defense and only make his first real basket in the pros after a few games. His statlines so far are often eggs, which may prove any rumors about his amateur competition true. He’s also managed to piss off many higher-ups and colleagues in the pro system—while that’s good for his clout, you don’t want to alienate even more people on your side.

Here’s the thing though: While his sorry performance makes it easy for us to think that the game is playing Hui, who’s really playing who?

We pro wrestlers call the attention that Hui is getting “heat,” and I don’t know if the man is a wrestling fan, but he seems to have already mastered the art of drawing heat

He’s got enough followers to justify getting paid for content partnerships, he’s getting media coverage, and he’s getting important people in local basketball to talk about him. The man knows that he can piss people off and convert that anger into clout. While the PSL merely allowed him into their ranks, now people are talking about the league when it was barely a blip on their radar before Hui.

We pro wrestlers call the attention that Hui is getting “heat,” and I don’t know if the man is a wrestling fan, but he seems to have already mastered the art of drawing heat. If he is able to monetize his heat, then he will have succeeded in being a showman, and the PSL could be praised for its major marketing coup.

That’s all well and good for Hui, but is it really a good thing for the league and, well, his reputation? And for Philippine basketball, in general? (But hey, you probably already know the answer to this.)

The prospect of making money off attention is definitely hard to ignore, especially when it’s so easy to come by in the age of social media that’s pretty much been fully taken over by capitalist interests (which, by the way, is fully to blame for his emergence in the first place). But I’m not so sure that the short-term success of profits and buzz is worth the long-term compromise of being known as a league that allowed an amateur like Hui to play among athletes who have taken the time and effort to really learn and hone their craft, even though he’s promised to do the same.

The difference between what we do in pro wrestling is that the whole fictional show—feelings and all—is the draw for our sport and art, while legitimate basketball fans want to see high-level basketball. A marketing gimmick of people wanting to see “Mr. Long Bomb” fail in his dreams to be an elite athlete can only go so far. Maybe if he did develop into a proper professional, but that doesn’t seem to be in his plans with all the people he’s enraging.

Not that anyone needed remindingowl game, but the overall reaction to what Harmz Hui is doing just reinforces how much Filipino fans and players love and respect the art of basketball

The saving grace the PSL has right now is that they’re not making any real accommodations for Hui and his clout-chasing game beyond allowing him to play. His fellow athletes are playing normally and, as mentioned earlier, he’s feeling the very real pressure of playing the game at a high level. If he wanted to mess around, the players of the PSL feel very free to make him find out.

Not that anyone needed reminding, but the overall reaction to what Hui is doing just reinforces how much Filipino fans and players love and respect the art of basketball. If you want to be the country’s next basketball star, maybe just do us all a favor and get good.