MANILA, Philippines -- Paying fans left the Smart Araneta Coliseum disappointed after what they hoped to be an exhibition game between Gilas Pilipinas and an NBA selection turned out to be just basketball drills and scrimmages.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manuel V. Pangilinan himself was disappointed with how the charity event turned out and immediately offered full refund to all ticket holders including those who watched on Tuesday.
"We apologize to Filipino fans for disappointing them tonight. We've decided to cancel the event tomorrow and will set up a process to refund the ticket holders in full," Pangilinan said in a hastily called press conference right after the event.
“I’m extremely disappointed with the turn of events. Our job is to be accountable for people’s expectation. Hence the refund,” Pangilinan added.
PLDT Home Vice President Ariel Fermin said they have already set up hotline numbers for those who would demand a refund for their tickets in the charity event which should have benefited the MVP Sports Foundation, Caritas Manila and the Philippine Disaster Relief Funds.
The Last Home Stand ticket holders can text 0919-6140865 or email RefundIGW@gmail.com.
Maria Espaldon from East West Private, the US-based agency which arranged for the NBA players' participation, said that the league did not allow the players and threatened to fine and suspend them if they participate in a basketball game during the event.
"So we planned to have a game but today, at the last minute, literally as were making plans to come over, the players had an emergency meeting. And one of them, Kyle Lowry said 'I got a call and I really need to discuss it I because I'm really worried about my career," Espaldon told the media.
East West Private was the same group who brought Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Chris Paul among others during the 2011 lockout season for a pair of exhibition games.
"When NBA found out that we're planning this event [in April], they started talking about that this should be sanctioned. We went and talked to them and told us the sanction deadline has passed. We asked to give us exemption since it's for charity but they did not," Espaldon added.
Without the needed clearance, the organizers got in touch with John Lucas which runs a clinic that features a 5-on-5 scrimmage at the end.
The NBA players, however, were only cleared for the clinics.
The ill-fated charity event already encountered setbacks when Paul Pierce changed his mind and begged off then the next two biggest names Blake Griffin of the LA Clippers and Paul George of the Indiana Pacers failed to fly in as scheduled for personal reasons. Houston Rockets rookie Nick Johnson and LA Lakers' latest acquisition Ed Davis also missed the trip.
Without them, Rockets' James Harden and NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard led the NBA selection which engaged Gilas players in basketball drills and light scrimmages. Other NBA players who showed up are Lowry and his Toronto teammates DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross, Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard, Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings and Dallas' Tyson Chandler. LA Clippers' Matt Barnes had to plane in as late replacement.
"The [NBA] advised us that we can't do any competition but we can bring them [players] for clinics," Espaldon said.
Fermin said that they made it very clear from the start to the NBA that there will be no competition but instead a 5-on-5 scrimmage after the clinic.
"It is a clinic and at the end of that there will be a 5-on-5 scrimmage. And that was very clear to the NBA until today, in the afternoon, they said in the 5-on-5, there will be no NBA players," Fermin explained. "That, in its simplest term, is what happened today."
The fans' reactions during the event that was met with chants of 'boos' and 'refund' forced the organizers to cancel the second day.
The two-day event was supposed to be Gilas' last public appearance before they fly on Friday to train in US at Miami, Florida with new naturalized player Andray Blatche.
From US, the Gilas will go directly to Spain and France for a series of tuneup games against European teams ahead of the FIBA World Cup which will tip off on Aug. 30.