NBA legends due, scout for opposition

MANILA, Philippines - An 11-man team mainly composed of NBA legends will play a game at the MOA Arena on July 18 but nobody knows for sure against whom even as tickets are now on sale with a price range from P500 for general admission to P5,000 for patron VIP and the chance to meet the visiting stars.

A source said the initial plan of forming a UAAP All-Star selection to face the legends was scuttled because it wasn’t likely that varsity teams would allow their players to sign up with the season set to start July 14. Forming a PBA All-Star squad or tapping even just a pro team is also not an option as the league will be in the thick of the Governors Cup playoffs by then and besides, July 18 is a PBA game day.

Smart Gilas team manager and MVP Sports Foundation project director Butch Antonio said he was contacted last weekend by organizers from the MOA Arena to find out if the national squad could play the legends. “At first, we were invited to practice at the arena then they asked about our availability to play the legends,” said Antonio. “Something like this has to be cleared with top management and the players themselves so there are no commitments at the moment.”

A viable alternative is to match the legends against the Philippine team scheduled to compete at the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on July 3-7. The composition of the national team is still up in the air although a 24-man roster has been submitted to SEABA. Smart Gilas coach and MVP Sports Foundation executive director Chot Reyes will discuss the make-up of the SEABA team at the PBA Board of Governors meeting today.

“Our SEABA team will be back from Chiang Mai by the time the legends arrive,” said Antonio. “But the players are committed to us only up to the SEABA tournament. We don’t know if some of them are going on vacation or doing rehab or enlisting in a boot camp to prepare for the PBA draft. We haven’t received a formal request from the MOA Arena for the national team to play against the legends so nothing is final.”

The SEABA team will be coached by Joseph Uichico and the players in the final 12-man cast will come from the 24-man pool. Among the players in the pool are Smart Gilas veterans Marcus Douthit, Chris Tiu and Aldrech Ramos. The pool reportedly includes 10 players from the PBA which must approve their participation for SEABA.

At least four officials from different UAAP schools said it will be difficult to form a collegiate All-Star selection to play the legends because the season will already be in progress. With the PBA out of the picture, the best option is to bring in the SEABA squad but even that has to be worked out with proper clearances.

The visiting team is made up of 6-7 Scottie Pippen, 46, 6-7 Dennis Rodman, 51, 6-5 Mitch Richmond, 46, 6-7 Bryon Russell, 41, 6-10 Cliff Robinson, 45, 6-1 Jason Williams, 36, 6-10 Horace Grant, 46, 6-6 Alexus Foyle, 33, 6-5 Chris Campbell, 31, 6-4 Jeff Trepagnier, 32, and 5-11 Charoy Bentley, 23. Pippen, Rodman, Grant, Richmond and Williams played on NBA title teams. Coach is Hall of Famer Oscar (The Big O) Robertson, 73.

Robinson is the longest tenured NBA player in the cast with 18 seasons of experience. Next are Pippen and Grant, both with 17. Richmond and Rodman played for 14 years while Russell 13 and Williams 12. Campbell, Foyle and Bentley never played in the NBA. Trepagnier suited up for Cleveland in 2001-02 and Denver in 2003-04.

A highlight of the tour is Robertson’s coaching debut. He was with the US team that won the Olympic gold medal in basketball in 1960 and played on the Milwaukee Bucks squad that captured the NBA crown in 1971. Robertson is the only NBA player ever to average a triple double in a season – 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists in 1961-62. The NBA named Robertson the Player of the Century in 2000.

Rodman, Grant and Richmond were previously in Manila on basketball-related trips. Rodman played on five NBA title teams with Detroit and Chicago. Last year, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.