No one would have guessed that James Yap, the recipient of two individual titles at the recent KFC-PBA Philippine Cup, endured a conference-long back condition that has been giving him severe pain.

The condition is called scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine which he has had since birth.

?My spine is like this,? said James, forming a letter C with his thumb and forefinger, ?kaya nakaganito ako (that?s why I have this posture),? as he bends his body to the right.

He said the condition could be corrected by an operation or a cast or both, but he has not had the luxury of time for either treatment.

Despite his scoliosis, James won hands down the coveted Best Player of the Conference and Best Player of the Finals Series in the All-Filipino conference.

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These individual titles were far from James? mind when the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants started their quest for the All-Filipino championship.

?At this stage of my career, I focus only on the team championship,? the cager, in Filipino, told a group of sportswriters and some close friends whom he treated to dinner and drinks recently at Friday?s at Trinoma mall in Quezon City. ?If the individual awards come along, they?re a bonus.?

James brought with him his three-year-old son Baby James, who almost upstaged his father with all the attention he got.

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Time flies. Was it just two years ago when the MVP took Baby James to the PBA All-Star weekend in Bacolod, the Yaps? hometown?

As a one-year-old toddler, Baby James was already attracting so much attention, even from complete strangers.

What is so remarkable about Baby James that he is very lovable?

He waves and smiles back to people and answers when asked.

You talk to him in English and he speaks in Tagalog.

?He is not Inglisero. Baby James is pang-masa,? said the sportswriters who crowded around the cute youngster at Friday?s.

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Baby James delighted the scribes by posing with them for photos and displaying some of his cute antics. He had his father?s long hands and it looks like he will grow as tall as his father. Baby James is tall for his age.

He was wearing a new hairstyle, patterned after the Mohawk American Indian: shaven around the head and thick on top. Nobody asked whether he likes to play basketball.

Kris couldn?t go to the blowout that night because she had a shooting commitment, but the two James ably covered up for her. They kept the guests well entertained.

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Big James did not mention a timetable, but among his plans for the immediate future is to develop his defensive skills.

?One must never stop trying to improve and better himself,? he told the scribes.

Before he returns to the hardcourt for the second conference, James will take time out to help his brother-in-law Sen. Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III campaign in the provinces. Most likely in the South.

No one remembered to ask, but most likely Baby James will also be there on the campaign trail.