MANILA, Philippines – Former NBA star and recent Manila visitor Carmelo Anthony also found the perfect opportunity to reconnect with some of his Filipino friends, including boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.
FIBA’s newest ambassador for the upcoming World Cup inserted in his schedule a meet-up with College of St. Benilde juniors guard Santi Romero, with whom he shared the same conditioning coach in New York and with whom he stayed in the same apartments in 2021 and early 2022.
Anthony actually visited Romero at their house in a posh Makati subdivision, where he reportedly stayed for seven hours and talked to his old pal about basketball.
The younger Romero is the son of notable businessman-sportsman and current congressman Mikee Romero, who, interestingly, managed to patch the former NBA All-Star in a phone call with another old friend of his — Pacquiao.
“Manny, I’ve been looking for four days straight and I heard you’re on a basketball court. Hope you put up some buckets man. I see you next time I get out here, when you’re in America you know where to find me. Talk to you soon brother,” said Anthony in a video message to Pacquiao that was taken by Romero.
Pacquiao once received a signed ball from Anthony when the former watched one of the latter’s games with the New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014.
The former eight-division world champion had indeed hit the basketball court lately, putting up 35 points — including a clutch layup to lift Team Bulalakaw to a 72-70 victory over Batangas City in their game in the MPBL preseason tournament currently being held in General Santos City.
After he was announced as World Cup ambassador on Friday, Anthony sat courtside at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan to see Gilas Pilipinas roll to a 107-96 win over Lebanon. The day before, he was seen visiting tourist spots in Manila such as the Rizal Park and Intramuros.
The Philippines will be hosting the FIBA World Cup along with Japan and Indonesia.