It’s Josh not Joe

National Basketball Association (NBA) slam dunk champion Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks is coming to town with Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady and Portland Trail Blazers guard Sebastian Telfair to grace Adidas Asian Streetball Finals in September.

That’s Josh, not Joe. It was earlier reported that Joe would be in the tour group.

The awesome threesome should make quite an impact. McGrady had a choice of which countries to visit during the NBA summer break and picked the Philippines. He was here with Tim Thomas five years ago and obviously, liked what he saw.

At the NBA All-Star Weekend in Denver last February, Chino Trinidad and I had a chance to interview T-Mac and he confirmed his affection for Filipino hoop fans because of their passion for the game. T-Mac said the Philippines will always be close to his heart because when he visited in 2000, he saw how popular the game was among Filipinos and he never imagined such an uninhibited outpouring.

By the way, T-Mac shoes are consistently Adidas’ biggest sellers in the basketball category. And a new model is due out in a few months.

McGrady, 25, became the youngest NBA player to average at least 30 points a game since 1976-77 when he hit at a 32.1 clip to lead the league in scoring in 2002-03. The 6-8, 210-pound forward is averaging 29.4 points this season, his eighth in the pros.

Smith, 19, is a 6-9, 225-pound guard-forward who’s averaging 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 blocked shots a game as a rookie this campaign. He was the Hawks first round draft pick last year. In 69 contests so far, he has started 54.

Smith stole the show at the All-Star Weekend when he executed a pair of perfect 50-point jams in the Slam Dunk finals to run away with the trophy. In the elimination round, Smith delivered a left-handed, alley-oop windmill stuff as he jumped over Kenyon Martin who tossed up the ball while sitting on a stool just inside the free throw line. Then, in the finals, he took off his Hawks jersey and wore a throwback Dominique Wilkins No. 21 uniform to soar for a leaning baseline, left-handed swooper. For a climax, Smith executed a flawless 360-degree reverse.

Smith won $25,000 and the Slam Dunk trophy. Runner-up was Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns.

Telfair, 19, is a six-foot, 160-pound point guard who went straight to the pros from high school like T-Mac and Smith. He’s averaging 6.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 18.3 minutes as a Blazers freshman this season.

Seven countries are expected to send entries to the Adidas Asian 3-on-3 Streetball Finals.

The process of finding the Philippine representative to the Finals begins this Saturday at the SM Megamall Open Carpark. Over 120 teams from Metro Manila are vying for a slot to play in the National Finals at the Festival Mall in Alabang on July 30-31 and eventually, the Asian Finals.

Adidas Philippines president and managing director John Alonte said yesterday the Streetball Challenge, now in its 10th year, will take four months to finish with hostilities slated all over the country.

Pocket tournaments for the seniors (16-19 age group) and girls divisions (under-19) will be held in Naga, Lipa, San Fernando (Pampanga), Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga while the "major" legs will be staged in Manila, Baguio, Cebu and Davao to include midgets (6 to 12 years old) and juniors (13 to 15) teams.

Tournament director is Noel Ascue. He’ll be assisted by several "leg" coordinators like Gil Cortez of Pampanga, Leo Arnaiz of Baguio and Roger Banzuela of Bacolod.

Alonte said NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and comebacking Orlando Magic star Grant Hill were also in the Adidas list of candidates to visit Manila.

Jabbar’s "heritage" retro shoe was a huge hit in Japan when it was reintroduced in the market last year. The high-cut model sold over 350,000 pairs in two months.

Alonte noted that the "heritage" line is one of three Adidas product categories–the others are the "performance" line and the trendy "sports style" or fashion line. Among the sports legends in Adidas’ "heritage" stable are Muhammad Ali, Jerry West, Rick Barry and Jerry Lucas.

Alonte explained that Adidas’ competitive edge is its commitment to innovate. "When I joined Adidas four years ago, I was told to expect at least two product innovations a year," he said. "But from what I’ve experienced, we’ve brought out a lot more each year."

The T-Mac laceless basketball shoe is an example of an Adidas innovation that took the market by storm. Another is the running shoe with sole sensors. A basketball shoe with sole sensors is now being developed. High-priced shoes for the fashionable and style-conscious are also in stores to cater to collectors, celebrities and serious buyers.

Adidas sports marketing manager Goody Custodio said this year’s Streetball Challenge is the most exhaustive and comprehensive search ever for a national 3-on-3 champion. Clearly, Adidas is leaving no stone unturned in finding the best Philippine entry to the Asian finals which Manila will host in September with McGrady, Smith and Telfair watching from the sidelines.