WATCH: Scottie Thompson Highlights [2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers]
Even beyond the FIBA World Cup, the PBA vows to extend its unwavering support to the national men’s basketball team.
The league maintains it will continue to back Gilas Pilipinas in its campaign in next month’s Asian Games and if fortunate enough, should it qualifies to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As it is, the PBA already made a major adjustment to its calendar when it moved the opener of Season 48 by mid-October to give way to the country’s campaign in the World Cup and the 19th edition of the Asiad in Hangzhou, China.
“Patuloy po nating sinusuportahan ang Gilas. Kung ano ang kailangan ng national team ay tinutugunan po natin,” commissioner Willie Marcial reiterated.
Marcial though, hasn’t discuss yet with national coach Chot Reyes as to whether he’ll retain the current Gilas pool training for the World Cup for the Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 Asiad.
“Hindi ko alam kung sinong players ang gagamitin niya dun (Asiad), kung yung Gilas na gagamitin niya sa World Cup or bago na,” said Marcial. “Wala pa, pero kung ano ang kailangan ni coach Chot ay tutulong ang PBA.”
Naturalized player Justin Brownlee is the only one yet certain to suit up for the national team in Hangzhou, where the country will try to improve on the fifth place finish it did during the 2018 staging in Jakarta, Indonesia behind the core of the Rain or Shine team.