The parents of Ange Kouame consider themselves very fortunate that their son could excel in basketball at a foreign ground. His mother, Debbie, is still living. Unfortunately, his father is no longer with us.
Ange Kouame is a dominant force in the Filipino basketball scene. The 6’10” center is all ready to take his career to a professional level.
Furthermore, coming from a distant country and having to resettle in a completely new culture was very hard for him. Nonetheless, he did it all too well, and his parents couldn’t be more prouder.
Kalou Ange Franck Williams “Angelo” Kouame, in short Ange, is a 25-year-old basketball player. He is originally from Cote d’Ivoire but has been a Filipino since 2021 through naturalization.
Kouame played multiple sports in his school days. However, he found his specialty in basketball. To take it more seriously, Ange moved to the Philippines on a student-athlete scholarship.
Moreover, he joined Ateneo de Manila University and played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
With them, he won 3 UAAP championships. Likewise, the center also was the MVP in the 21-22 season.
Kouame currently represents the Philippines National Team on the international stage. However, he couldn’t play for them in the FIBA World Cup 2023 because Jordan Clarkson had taken the naturalization slot.
Who Are The Parents of Ange Kouame?
Ange Kouame was born and raised in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire by his mother Debbie Tan. His father died when Ange was just 15.
He started playing basketball to cope with the loss of his father. So, we are sure he is looking down as a proud father and brimming over his son’s success.
Kouame’s Mother Is His Everything
For a young man who lost his father, Ange is grateful that he has such a strong mother in his life. Debbie did everything possible to make ends meet and sent Ange to the Philippines for further development.
Furthermore, Ange works hard each day to repay his mother and make her remaining life an easy ride.
The pain of having to leave his mother behind at 19 still aches his heart, but he’s happy things turned out great.
For Debbie, Ange’s naturalization came as a shock initially. She was disappointed that he would not be able to call himself an Ivorian, but that was not the case.
“I had to make a big decision, so we had a long conversation. In the end, she was okay with it,” he said. Moreover, it was Debbie who first gave the good news of the naturalization to her son.
At the end of the day, the mother-son duo remains intact, as Ange frequently visits his native land. He also posts his mother’s pictures on his Instagram.
Kouame And The Process of Becoming A Filipino
Ange Kouame’s story of becoming a Filipino is quite inspiring. He moved to a completely new continent at a young age; he didn’t know the language or the culture.
Furthermore, he had to study English at an international school and dissolve himself within the Filipino world.
Finally, in May 2021, the Filipino Congress headed by President Duterte signed Ange’s paper on naturalization.
Despite all the struggles, he made it through with the help of some amazing people whom Ange considers his second family.
They are the Velosos family, whose father, Raffy, and mom, Elline, took the young athlete in and gave him a new home.
Raffy himself was an Ateneo player, so he could relate to Ange on a different level.
“They are my parents here, I call them dad and mom,” said Ange.
