The majority of overseas imports will not be participating in the Asian Games, creating a challenge for Gilas Pilipinas.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas will need to assemble the best players from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for the 19th Asian Games.
This situation arises because most overseas imports have declined to compete in the Asian Games. This tournament is not sanctioned by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and is, therefore, not part of the global basketball calendar.
Dwight Ramos, who plays for Hokkaido in the B.League, confirmed, “No, I’m not playing in the Asian Games.”
Additionally, Kiefer Ravena of Shiga, Kai Sotto of Hiroshima, and AJ Edu of Toyama are set to return to Japan. Thirdy Ravena of San-En and Ray Parks of Nagoya are already in Japan.
Furthermore, Rhenz Abando of KGC is expected to join Anyang as early as next week, while Jordan Clarkson will return to Utah.
“It depends po kung papayag po yung team ko kasi sobrang tagal ko na pong nakabakasyon. Dapat July 9, dapat nasa Korea na ako pero nag-extend pa ako dito so it depends po,” said Abando.
This situation presents a significant challenge for Gilas, as the PBA players had underperformed in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, with only June Mar Fajardo and Roger Pogoy consistently delivering strong performances.
In the last continental meet, the Philippines finished in fifth place.
