FIBA Asia Cup Sidelights: 76ers Indonesian co-owner expands soccer avenue

TOKYO – Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Erick Thohir of Indonesia said the other day his involvement with the Major Soccer League (MSL) team D. C. United is an avenue for Asian players to try their luck in pursuing a sports career in the US.

Thohir attended the FIBA Asia Executive Committee meeting as SEABA sub-zone president at the Grand Prince New Takanawa Hotel here last Wednesday. The media mogul shares the 76ers ownership with an investors group that includes lawyer Jason Levien, Joshua Harris and actor Will Smith. Thohir and Levien recently bought a majority stake in D. C. United, one of 19 MSL clubs. 

Thohir, 42, was the Indonesia chef de mission at the recent London Olympics and is a vice president of the Indonesian Olympic Committee. He also owns the Indonesia Warriors who won the ABL title last season.

In London, Thohir said he was disappointed with Indonesia’s showing. It was the first Olympics where Indonesia failed to bag a gold medal since 1992. Indonesia sent 22 athletes, including 13 men, to compete in eight sports. Only three were wildcard invitees. The others were qualifiers. Indonesia’s two medals came from men’s weightlifting – a silver with Triyatno in the 69 kilogram class and a bronze with Eko Yuli Irawan in the 62 kilogram division.

Thohir disclosed that during the Olympics, the Andrew Bynum deal was sealed. “I was in a pub with Jason and Joshua when (Sixers president and general manager) Rod Thorn phoned,” he recalled. “(Los Angeles Lakers general manager) Mitch Kupchak asked Rod if we wanted to make a trade. Of course, we’re thankful to Mitch. He brought us a franchise player in Bynum. The trade also involved letting go of (Andre) Iguodala who was in London at the time. We made sure Iguodala wouldn’t go to an East team like Indiana. He went to the West with Denver.”

Thohir said because of his interest in D. C. United, he arranged a two-week training for soccer star Andik Vermansyah known as the “Indonesian Messi.” “The NBA and the English Premier League are too highly competitive for our stars in Asia to invade,” he said. “But with D. C. United, at least we can bring over some of our stars. Surely, we can consider players from the Philippine Azkals. Football is the No. 1 sport in the world and even though I love basketball, no sport is more popular than football.”

Thohir said he takes about six trips to the US a year, mainly attending meetings related to his ownership of the Sixers and D. C. United. He said when NBA commissioner David Stern retires, deputy Adam Silver will likely succeed him.

Regarding the Philippines’ bid to host the FIBA Asia Championships next year, Thohir said he was impressed with the presentation. He kept mum about the proceedings but mentioned something about politics getting in the way of deciding the bid.

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Gilas assistant coach Josh Reyes is a tech whiz whose main job is to break down tape and edit video for the coaching staff to review in preparing a gameplan. His work as video coordinator and scout is what Miami coach Erik Spoelstra used to do when he broke in with the Heat. 

At the recent Jones Cup in Taipei, Josh said organizers provided a soft copy USB and a hard copy of every game at a cost of $15. With the USB, it wasn’t difficult to edit the video on his Mac laptop. But at the FIBA Asia Cup here, Josh pays $40 for a DVD of a game. He converts the DVD into an editable file before cutting it up for selective viewing. The DVD is available about two to five hours after a game is played and the conversion takes over an hour so before the coaching staff is able to view the edited version, it will be about four to six hours later.

A high basketball IQ is a requisite for anyone doing Josh’s work and luckily, he learned from a master, his father. “I’m thinking of ways to reduce the editing time,” he said. “Why not copy the video off the live telecast in Manila and email it to my computer? That will make it easy to edit and cut down the waiting time.” Obviously, one of Josh’s assets is a creative mind.

Josh also subscribes to FIBA TV and occasionally, stumbles on a game featuring a Gilas opponent in FIBA Asia. He stores the video either on file or in his mind so that when the opportunity arises, there is a note sheet that details tendencies, patterns and playing style.

Josh is in his father’s coaching staff with Joseph Uichico and Ryan Gregorio here. He is also on the TNT coaching staff in the PBA and will work with Norman Black in the coming season.