Marques Bolden is no stranger to Southeast Asian basketball.
Currently in the Philippines with his Levanga Hokkaido for the B.League Manila Games 2026, it’s not Bolden’s first time out in the region.
Naturalized in 2021 for the Indonesian national basketball team, the 6-foot-10 big man’s been a constant presence for Timnas Basket.
However, with Indonesia set to kick off their Asian Games return against Japan on Thursday, Bolden is notably absent from the lineup.
“Just because it’s a very important season for us. Levanga Hokkaido’s trying to do something special this year, so I felt like with me being here, I want to gain more camaraderie with the team. We just wanna start off on the right foot,” explained Bolden, who led Indonesia to gold during the 2021 Vietnam Games.
(C) FIBA.basketball
Head coach David Singleton was looking forward to having Bolden for the national team as they face a tough group with Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia, and acknowledged that his absence would be to their disadvantage.
Although his decision to focus on his club team leaves his national team in a tough situation, he still affirms his allegiance and willingness to return when needed.
“For sure, I look forward to representing them again for sure. I love putting on that jersey whenever I represent the Red and White,” said the former NBA pro.
“I know they’re gonna do great things in this Asian Games coming up. I’m always rooting for them and I love to represent the country. I definitely plan on playing with them again.”
Back in 2022, he led Indonesia to the quarterfinals of the FIBA Asia Cup and led the entire tournament in minutes played and blocks per game.
Despite the Indonesians looking to face an uphill battle in the group stage, the 28-year-old center still believes that they’ve got enough weapons in their arsenal to surprise the best teams in Asia.
“Yeah, definitely. They’ve got a tough roster. They’ve got a lot of guys who are really talented,” he said.
“Obviously, I’m missing out on this go-around, but we’re still a complete team so I feel like they’ll do special things in these Asian Games.”
