Is MJ playing in PBA?

The rumor is spreading like wildfire. MJ will likely be playing for the Jilin Northeast Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Samsung Invitational Championships starting this Sunday.

A highly placed source says the PBA is keeping MJ’s possible arrival under wraps. "If it leaks out, somebody could pull the plug," notes a league insider. "Baka ‘di matuloy kung ma-preempt ang announcement of his coming."

MJ, of course, isn’t Michael Jordan. The National Basketball Association (NBA) legend turned down an invitation to visit the country a few weeks ago, supposedly because he’s in the middle of divorce proceedings and negotiations to join another team. The invitation came with an offer of a $250,000 appearance fee plus unlimited living expenses for three days. Jordan’s representatives, however, said the Philippines will be given first option on his services once the skies clear for a trip to the Far East.

So who’s the MJ being lured to play in the Invitationals? My lips are sealed as I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Besides, to see is to believe. When MJ planes in, you’ll know for sure he’s here to play.

How formidable are the Tigers? The word from Binondo is they’re ferocious and fearless. That’s bad news for the six PBA teams involved in the fray. Not that the PBA isn’t hospitable but the league probably wouldn’t relish the idea of a foreign team dominating the Invitationals. The PBA would rather hand over the $20,000 first prize check to a local entry.

The PBA has staged six Invitationals as a regular conference since opening shop in 1975. But the last Invitationals didn’t feature a foreign team in 1984–the Philippine team competed as a guest entry. Brazil and Australia were represented in the 1977 Invitationals topped by Toyota. A US All-Star team, sponsored by Nicholas Stoodley, and a French club saw action in the 1980 edition won by the Americans. The South Korean national squad finished third in the 1982 Invitationals where San Miguel Beer reigned supreme.

The Tigers posted a 17-9 record in the last Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) regular season, ranking third behind Guangdong and the Bayi Rockets. In the playoffs, Jilin made it to the semifinals.

Jilin’s star is three-three Olympian Sun Jun who led the CBA in scoring with a 33 point clip and was the league’s MVP this year. Sun, 34, played on the Chinese national squad from 1992 to 2001 and saw action at the 1994 World Championships. The 6-6 guard-forward was also the CBA’s MVP in 1999.

Another Jilin mainstay is 6-9, 20-year-old Wang Bo who played in the 1999 World Junior Championships and was recently drafted to suit up for the Chinese national seniors squad. The tallest Tiger is 7-foot Chang Bin who’s only 21 and the youngest is 16-year-old, 6-10 forward Zhang Lei.

The Tigers are coached by Hap Shu Min. It’s not certain if the team’s assistant coach Jay Humphries, an NBA veteran, will join the Tigers here. Humphries, 41, played on an NBA Legends squad that barnstormed China in 1998 and became a Tigers assistant coach two years ago. Humphries was the Phoenix Suns’ first round draft pick in 1984.

Fans are wondering if an identity crisis will cloud the Invitationals if Jilin and Coca-Cola end up slugging it out for the title. Both teams are called the Tigers. Imagine if the PBA invited Australia, too, and the Aussies sent the Melbourne Tigers.

Aric del Rosario, who coaches the University of Sto. Tomas Growling Tigers in the UAAP, will call the shots for the Philippine team in the Invitationals. No, the national squad isn’t nicknamed the Tigers, despite del Rosario’s presence on the bench.