Ben Palli’s Unlikely Path to Philippine Lacrosse

For most of his life, Ben Palli knew exactly who he was as an athlete.

He was a basketball player.

He grew up in the United States playing the sport almost every day, starting at just four years old and sticking with it all the way through his teenage years.

“I played basketball since I was four. Up until I was 19.”

So if you told him back then that he’d end up representing the Philippines, not in basketball, but in lacrosse, he probably wouldn’t have believed you.

Now 20 years old, Palli is part of the Philippine national lacrosse team. And his journey there isn’t the usual story of early talent or a straight path to success. It’s a story of trying something new, failing at it, and deciding to keep going anyway.

If you can’t imagine how lacrosse works, think of it this way: it’s fast, physical, and constantly moving. Players use a stick with a net to pass and shoot a ball, but the way the game flows—spacing, communication, quick decisions—feels a lot like basketball.

That’s part of why the transition eventually made sense for him.

But at the start, it didn’t feel natural at all.

Lacrosse only came into his life during his second year of high school.

“I heard of kids I’ve played sports with, they were going to try lacrosse, and the competitive spirit in me was like, I’ll give it a shot.”

He gave it a shot, and didn’t make the team.

That moment could’ve easily been the end of it. A quick “not for me,” then back to basketball.

Instead, it stuck with him.

“I didn’t feel good, but it didn’t make me think I wasn’t meant for this. It made me want to try even harder.”

That decision to keep going after getting cut ended up changing everything.

The shift from basketball to lacrosse wasn’t easy. Imagine spending years mastering one sport, then suddenly having to relearn everything with a stick in your hands.

“The jump was so hard.”

Still, he kept working.

He practiced in whatever space he had, even inside his house.

“They call it wall ball. You just pass the ball against the wall and it comes back. I would do it for hours.”

Out on the field, things didn’t get easier right away.

“I would just get destroyed. I couldn’t even get the ball from A to B.”

He knew what he wanted to do in his head, but his body just couldn’t keep up yet. And if you’ve ever tried learning something new while everyone else seems ahead of you, you know exactly how frustrating that feels.

“I felt out of place. I was the captain of my basketball team, and now I’m on junior varsity for a sport I just started.”

But instead of letting that discourage him, he leaned into it.

“That constant improvement from day to day was really addictive.”

And slowly, things started to click.

The funny part? Basketball never really left him. It actually helped him understand lacrosse better.

“Everything. The movements, the communication, the physicality—it’s really similar. The only difference is the stick.”

As he got better, a new question came up: what’s next?

He started looking for ways to keep playing after high school. That’s when he came across something unexpected—the Philippine national lacrosse team.

“I saw that the Philippines had a team… and I saw all these Division I players and thought, I don’t know if I can make that.”

Still, he went for it.

He first played with the Under-19 team in the Heritage Cup. That experience opened the door to something bigger—a shot at the national team.

“Fortunately enough, I made the team.”

And just like that, the kid who once practiced alone against a wall was now playing on the international stage.

The team eventually placed second against Australia. But for Palli, the experience meant more than just the result.

“Stepping on the lacrosse field with all Filipinos… it was something I never really experienced before. It was really cool.”

Even though he grew up in the U.S., that connection to the Philippines—through his family, through his teammates—suddenly felt very real.

“My mom’s family is from here. And they still live here.”

And now, he wasn’t just connected to the country—he was representing it.

That’s when his perspective shifted.

“The goal is to spread the game of lacrosse throughout the Philippines.”

It stopped being just about playing well or winning games.

“We knew what we were doing was bigger than just playing. It was to show that we’re here to compete at the highest level.”

If you look at his journey now, it doesn’t follow the usual script.

It didn’t start with early success. It didn’t come easy. And it definitely didn’t happen overnight.

It started with getting cut from a team.

It continued with hours of practice no one saw.

And it grew because he chose not to stop.

From basketball courts in the U.S. to wearing the Philippine colors on the field, Ben Palli’s story is a reminder of something simple:

Sometimes, the thing you’re not good at yet, is exactly what you’re meant to keep chasing.