IO – National basketball legend Ali “Budi Jordan” Budimansyah assumes a new role when he returns to the IBL: he is now the Vice President of Bumi Borneo Basketball team. He has a promise to keep with his return: “My target is to make sure that IBL trophy arrives in Kalimantan before Indonesia’s capital city is moved here,” he said.
After he retired as an athlete, Budi spent his years coaching his junior players from all over Indonesia, the latest being the coach of IBL’s Bogor Siliwangi. “Becoming an officer of a club is a new challenge for me. Whether you are a player, a coach, or part of Management, you will face
different challenges in each,” he said.
Budi is a well-known Indonesian basketball legend, but a humble one. In fact, he was absolutely floored when a loyal fan called him up with a plan to make a documentary film about him: “I never meant to tell tales about myself. It was Rico Lubis who asked my permission to document my life’s journey and my love of basketball,” he said.
Rico, a.k.a. Spin Boy, is a street basketball athlete and a great fan of Budi Jordan. “I actually don’t feel confident about this – do I merit this honor? I’m telling you, Sony Hendrawan (senior basketballer of a much older generation) is more worthy of documenting. Look, he was even Asia’s top scorer once upon a time, while I only managed to enter All Star Asia,” he said. “However, Rico talked me into it. He said that my achievements are worthy of documentation, as it will allow Indonesian basketball lovers to know the local history of this sport.”
Budi went on to admit that he is not a good keeper of mementoes, whether old photos or medals – even the bronze medals he got in the 1993 and 1999 SEA Games and the silver one he won in the 2001 SEA Games. “Rico got them when he interviewed my closest people and people who affect my basketball life,” he said. “I don’t even know where my trophies and medals are now. Well, as for my trophies, mom took them home and stored them in her home in Padang. But seriously, I don’t know where my medals are.”
Budi, born on Christmas Day 1975, entered the National Basketball Team even before he was 18 years old. The bronze medal won in SEA Games 1993 Singapore was the first our national men’s basketball team ever scored in the event. Likewise, the silver medal won in SEA Games 2001 Kuala Lumpur is also historically significant, as the first silver Indonesia won there. “Everything that I achieve is a bonus, all born from my love of basketball and my hard work. I never shoot for these awards, but they just come flowing to me as I express my love for basketball with my hard work,” he said.
Budi is not involved in the background creation of his documentary. “I entrust everything to Rico. He told me that he only has one source to contact next week, then he will have the film edited. They plan to broadcast it through social media, but it’s not impossible for things to develop further,” he said.
Budi Jordan has left a legacy for the Indonesian basketball scene. Indonesian basketball enthusiasts must know him as part of our homeland’s basketball history, alongside other legends of the sport. “I personally hope that this will trigger people to introduce more Indonesian basketball legends, so that our people can know more about the history of the best sport in the world in our own country,” he said.
Good luck with your new role, Budi Jordan! We hope you continue to inspire Indonesia’s basketball players and fans in coming years. (rp)