Harden, Gordon to visit Manila; Rose due Sept.

MANILA, Philippines - Two more NBA stars – James Harden of the Houston Rockets and New Orleans’ Eric Gordon – are set to fly in to headline the annual NBA 3X presented by Sprite on July 26-28 at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

“I’m excited to return to the Philippines to be a part of NBA 3X,” Harden told NBA’s affiliate website NBA.com Philippines yesterday. “Filipinos have an unmatched passion for basketball and I look forward to meeting the fans and catching some of the best basketball talent the country has to offer.”

Harden was among the star-studded NBA squad, which included Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant, that played a pair of exhibition games in the Smart-Ultimate All-Star Weekend two years ago.

Interestingly, the bearded Rockets star is also set to return to Manila in October as spearhead of the Houston squad playing the Indiana Pacers in the first-ever NBA pre-season game to be held here.

Dubbed the Global Games Philippines 2013, the Rockets-Pacers game will be held Oct. 10, at the MOA Arena.

Last Thursday, adidas Basketball announced Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose will visit the country as part of the D Rose Tour on Sept. 14-16 where he will play against some high school players, conduct clinics and hold meet and greet sessions and do some social media campaigns.

In a statement, NBA-Asia country manager Carlo Singson said the presence of Harden and Gordon will highlight their 3-on-3 tournament for boys under-18, under-16 and under-13, girls’ under-18 and under-16 divisions and Open categories for men and women.

Registration for NBA 3X begins June 20, on a first-come first-served basis, and runs till July 12 or until all slots are full.

“The ongoing support from our Filipino fans is amazing and helps bring our game to life through NBA 3X presented by Sprite,” said Singson. “Our passionate fans follow the NBA all season long on TV, NBA.com and through social media, and we are excited to bring NBA 3X Philippines back as a prelude to our first-ever NBA Global Games Philippines 2013 this October.”

For details, log on to www.nba3x.com/philippines. Fans can also get updates on the event by following the NBA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nba_philippines and through Facebook at www.facebook.com/nba3xasia and www.facebook.com/philsnba.