When he learned that he would be heading to the Philippines to serve as NorthPort’s import for the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup, Michael Qualls hit up San Miguel’s reinforcement Dez Wells.
The two American cagers know each other personally, and they actually go way, way back.
“We played in Team USA; Kevin Durant, LeBron James skills academy through high school. We both played for a split second with the Thunder in the NBA and also on the G-League,” Qualls shared “I know him a lot. I knew that he was out here already.
“When my agent told me I was gonna be here in the Philippines, he was one of the first people that I reached out to.”
Qualls arrived last Friday to take the place of Mychal Ammons. And interestingly, his first game with the Batang Pier was against Wells and the Beermen on Wednesday night.
And the crowd inside the Cuneta Astrodome got themselves a treat with both imports showing up.
The two lit up the scoreboard for their respective teams. Wells erupted for 56 big points along with nine assists and eight rebounds; meanwhile, Qualls had 40 points, 18 boards, and three dimes.
“He had it going, especially down the stretch. He was getting a lot of free throws as well — he always was able to do that. I’ve played against him my whole life. That’s one of my close friends.”
Still, there could only be one winner. As the final buzzer sounded, Qualls and NorthPort emerged victorious, 127-119.
‘I’m just glad we can get the win. That’s all I wanted to do — come out here and get a win,” he said.
“I was speaking with the owners. That’s what they wanted out of me: be aggressive and make it happen.”
But despite his impressive debut, the 25-year-old Qualls said that he still has work to do.
“I think I’ll be better next game. It just feels good to get my feet in the water or whatever, learn how PBA basketball really is so I can adapt better for next game.”
