Christopher Elijah Duque Newsome (born July 25, 1990) is a Filipino American professional basketball player for the

Meralco Bolts The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team began in 2010 after the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) acquired the PBA franchise of the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The team is one of three ...

of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

(PBA).

Early life and high school career

Newsome was born in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

. He is the second child of Carmelita (née Duque), a Filipina, who hails from

Parañaque Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque ( fil, Lungsod ng Parañaque, ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 689,992 people. It is ...

and Eric, an African American. He has an older brother, Eric Jr. and younger sisters Nishelle and Melissa. When the Newsomes moved to

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

, he attended his secondary education at

Rio Rancho High School Rio Rancho High School is a public high school located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States. It is a part of the Rio Rancho Public Schools. History The state rejected the proposal of Rio Rancho High School, however Intel Corp. offered to bui ...

. His first sport was baseball and football, but did not play basketball until he reached seventh grade. He helped the Rio Rancho HS Rams win the 5A State Championship in 2007.

College career

Newsome attended the

New Mexico Highlands University New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) is a public university in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Founded in 1893, it has satellite campuses in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Farmington and Roswell. NMHU has an average annual enrollment of approximate ...

, an

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

school for three years. In his final season with the

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

in 2011, he averaged 10.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per outing. He was recruited by then-Ateneo head coach

Norman Black Norman Augustus Black (born November 12, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the CBA, NBA, and PBA. He's the current head coach for the Meralco Bolts. He has since settled in the Philippines. He is also ...

to play for the Blue Eagles and for the Philippine national team that will play for the Southeast Asian Games. He accepted the offer and spent two years of residency (as per UAAP rules for foreign students) before finally seeing action for Ateneo in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. In his final season with the Blue Eagles, he posted averages of 14 PPG and 8 RPG while earning a spot among the

UAAP Season 77 UAAP Season 77 is the 2014–15 athletic year of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). The season host is the University of the East with Carmelita Mateo as president. Eight universities are competing in fifteen sports to ...

Mythical 5 team.

Amateur career

Newsome suited up for the

Hapee Fresh Fighters The Hapee Fresh Fighters was a basketball team owned by Lamoiyan Corporation that played in the PBA Developmental League (PBA D-League). The franchise began in the Philippine Basketball League from 1994 until the league became dormant in 2010. Th ...

in the PBA D-League, where he teamed up with fellow college standouts and future draft batchmates

Troy Rosario Jeth Troy Utanes Rosario (born January 20, 1992) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). College and amateur career Rosario played for two years at Technological I ...

Baser Amer Baser C. Amer (born September 29, 1992) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He plays both the point guard and shooting guard positions. He earned the moniker, The ...

, Garvo Lanete and Scottie Thompson. Together, they helped the Fresh Fighters win its first ever PBA D-League title in 2015.

Professional career

Newsome was drafted fourth overall by the

in the

2015 PBA draft The 2015 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) rookie draft was an event which allows teams to draft players from the amateur ranks. The event was held at the Midtown Atrium, Robinsons Place Manila on August 23, 2015. From this draft on, th ...

, reuniting with his former collegiate coach

. A few days after the draft, he signed a three-year deal with the Bolts. In his PBA debut on October 28, 2015, he finished with a team-high-tying 14 points, including two on a highlight slam dunk over San Miguel's Arwind Santos. Newsome quickly rose to stardom. He participated in the PBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest, making it to the final round only to lose to two-time defending champion, Rey Guevarra. He became a key player in Meralco's rotation as the season went on. He helped Meralco get to the Semi-Finals of the

2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2016 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup, also known as the 2016 Oppo-PBA Commissioner's Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the second conference of the 2015–16 PBA season. The tournament allowed teams to hire forei ...

and to the Finals of the

2016 PBA Governors' Cup The 2016 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup, also known as the 2016 Oppo-PBA Governors' Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the third and last conference of the 2015–16 PBA season. Due to the preparations of the Philippines m ...

before eventually losing to the

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The most popular team in the league, it is owned by Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc.), a subsidia ...

. He was named as the PBA Rookie of the Year 2016 during the PBA Leo Awards Night. Other nominees for the league's newcomer trophy were Maverick Ahanmisi, Arthur dela Cruz,

and Moala Tautuaa. Newsome started the 2016–17 Philippine Cup with a career-high 28 points with 10 rebounds in a win against the

NLEX Road Warriors The NLEX Road Warriors is a professional basketball team owned by NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, currently playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since the 2014–2015 season. The Roa ...

. After a six-game losing streak, he led the team to a win over the

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association owned by Asian Coatings Philippines, Inc. It debuted in the league in the 2006–07 PBA season after acquiring the franchise right ...

with 19 points and 6 assists. They didn't make the playoffs that conference, finishing with a 47-point loss to the Star Hotshots. That season, he was snubbed from the All-Star Game, but he was able to win his first Slam Dunk title, finishing just one point ahead of James Forrester. The Bolts made it to the playoffs of the Commissioner's Cup, losing to the

TNT Katropa The TNT (cellular service), TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the PLDT, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Associat ...

in the first round. In the Governors' Cup, he had 7 steals in a win against the

Phoenix Fuel Masters The Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters is a professional basketball team owned by Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., which debuted in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in the 2016 Commissioner's Cup. The franchise began after the comp ...

. He finished the elimination round with a Player of the Week award, for averaging 21 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1 steal in 2 games and securing first place for the Bolts. He was also nominated for Best Player of the Conference, losing to

Greg Slaughter Gregory William Slaughter (born May 19, 1988) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the B2 League. He was selected first overall by the Barangay Ginebra in the 2013 PBA draft. Sports commentator ...

. Meralco lost once again to Ginebra in the

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. In the 2018 Commissioner's Cup, Newsome had 30 points in a win against NLEX. He was snubbed once again from the 2018 All-Star Games. He competed once again in the Slam Dunk Contest, but this time didn't make it to the final round. In the 2019 Governors' Cup, against Phoenix, he recorded his first triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. Against San Miguel, he was dangerously fouled by

Kelly Nabong Kelly Berry Nabong (born November 17, 1988) is a Filipino-American basketball player for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was selected 17th overall in the 2012 PBA draft by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painter ...

as he was going for a drive. Nabong was fined 30,000 pesos for those actions. The Bolts made it to the

, matching up with Ginebra once again. In Game 1, he scored 17 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. Despite his efforts, Meralco lost that game. They would go on to lose in 5 games. In the 2020 Philippine Cup, Newsome hit a buzzer-beating, baseline fadeaway jumper to give Meralco the win over the

Terrafirma Dyip The Terrafirma Dyip is a professional basketball team playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The team is owned by Terrafirma Realty Development Corporation and originally played under its affiliate company Columbian Autocar Cor ...

. In the playoffs, they upset the Beermen, but lost to Ginebra in the semis. In a game against the

Magnolia Hotshots The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migue ...

, Newsome sank the game-winning layup and finished with 14 points. During the 2021 Philippine Cup, Newsome, along with teammate

Cliff Hodge Clifford Marion "Cliff" Hodge (born February 3, 1988) is a Filipino-American basketball player for the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was selected 4th overall by the Meralco Bolts in the 2012 PBA draft. Professi ...

, was placed into the league's health and safety protocols, forcing them to miss two games. In his return from protocols, he was fined 20,000 pesos for the flagrant foul 2 he committed against Anthony Semerad. The Bolts made it to the semis once again, but this time lost to Magnolia in six games. In the Governors' Cup playoffs, they matched up against Magnolia once again. In Game 2, he scored 18 points to help Meralco tie up the series 1–1. He then teamed up with his backcourt partner Chris Banchero to take Game 3. The Bolts finally put Magnolia away in Game 5, as he scored 18 points (11 in the fourth quarter), 12 assists, eight rebounds, three steals, and a block. For that performance, he was awarded Player of the Week. They faced Ginebra in the

once again, and lost in six games.

Career statistics

College

Elimination rounds

, - , align="left" , 2013-14 , align="left" rowspan="2" , Ateneo , 14 , , 30.1 , , .512 , , .235 , , .762 , , 8.3 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .5 , , 13.1 , - , align="left" , 2014-15 , 14 , , 30.4 , , .436 , , .462 , , .744 , , 7.9 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , 13.5 , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , 28 , , 30.3 , , .473 , , .372 , , .752 , , 8.3 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , .7 , , 13.3

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2014-15 , align="left" , Ateneo , 2 , , 33.3 , , .636 , , 1.000 , , .857 , , 6.5 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 18.0 , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , 2 , , 33.3 , , .636 , , 1.000 , , .857 , , 6.5 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 18.0

PBA

''As of the end of 2022–23 season'' , - , align=left , , align=left ,

Meralco The Manila Electric Company (), also known as Meralco (, ), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 22 cities and 89 munic ...

, 51 , , 30.6 , , .480 , , .288 , , .758 , , 4.7 , , 3.9 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 12.1 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 48 , , 35.1 , , .450 , , .291 , , .760 , , 6.0 , , 5.0 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 13.3 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 41 , , 34.7 , , .427 , , .429 , , .846 , , 5.5 , , 5.0 , , .9 , , .3 , , 13.9 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 45 , , 35.8 , , .441 , , .283 , , .813 , , 5.8 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 14.6 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 18 , , 36.3 , , .421 , , .250 , , .767 , , 5.7 , , 4.9 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 13.9 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 40 , , 34.8 , , .408 , , .320 , , .797 , , 5.2 , , 5.0 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 13.0 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 38 , , 35.3 , , .432 , , .373 , , .748 , , 5.2 , , 4.8 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 14.9 , -class=sortbottom , colspan="2" align="center" , Career , 281 , , 34.4 , , .439 , , .328 , , .784 , , 5.4 , , 4.6 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 13.6

National team career

Newsome was ineligible to play in most

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

tournaments for the Philippines because of a rule that states players are eligible to play for their countries only if they acquired their respective passports before the age of 16. He was able to play for the Philippines in the

2019 SEA Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, was the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport event which ...

3x3 tournament because of less restrictions. Along with teammates

CJ Perez Christian Jaymar Perez (born November 17, 1993) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was selected 1st overall in the 2018 PBA draft by Columbian Dyip. Earl ...

Jason Perkins Jason Andre Perkins (born September 20, 1992) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Personal life Perkins is the youngest of three siblings. ...

, and Moala Tautuaa, they helped the Philippines claim gold for that event, sweeping the tournament in the process. In 2022, Newsome was cleared by FIBA to play as a local for the Philippines. This is because he was given an exemption because he has been living in the Philippines for over 10 years. He made his national team debut during the fourth window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Off the court

Newsome is also a columnist for the Philippine edition of NBA.com. He is also a photographer for the Bolts' social media accounts. In 2018, he was named as a brand ambassador for TAG Heuer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newsome, Chris Living people 1990 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Filipino descent Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball players Basketball players from San Jose, California Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games Competitors at the 2023 SEA Games Filipino men's 3x3 basketball players Filipino men's basketball players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Meralco Bolts draft picks Meralco Bolts players New Mexico Highlands Cowboys basketball players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Philippines national 3x3 basketball team players Point guards Shooting guards Small forwards SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines SEA Games medalists in 3x3 basketball SEA Games medalists in basketball