CARMELO ANTHONY in Manila for FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

Stepped into the BIG DOME this afternoon to see who's going to be the newest FIBA world cup ambassador and if your hunch is right, it's no other than basketball star and legendary Carmelo Anthony. The US team Gold Medalist is in Manila today to say hi to Filipino fans and watch a few games at the Philippine Arena as the qualifiers will happen in the country, Jakarta and Tokyo.
 

 

Melo (as his biggest fans call him) will also be with fellow FIBA World Cup ambassadors Pau Gasol of Spain and Argentina's Luis Scola to promote the game worldwide as these start in these three cities so there's definitely a lot of things to look forward to. Olympic medalists, regional kings from different countries gather in this top league where only the best of the best play for pride, honor and the coveted Naismith trophy.

The Philippine and international media was also able to ask questions about his role in FIBA. Aside from promoting the league, he get to visit and connect with the people of the country. The conversation went to a little talk about the fans in the Philippines and also a little advise to the Gilas Pilipinas team. He also got his own jersey to keep and gave encouragement to those who wish to become the best in the world. Here's the Q and A we did with him earlier:

For those who also joined in the fun match between Gilas Pilipinas and Jordan today at the Philippine Arena, Carmelo Anthony is going to watch in the sidelines to support basketball, and all the countries that are part of the FIBA World Cup. He's very eloquent, also lauded the "PUSO" tagline and was super eager to encourage the young fans to believe in their dreams, and make it happen!

CATRIONA GRAY, Gilas Pilipinas Players, Announced As FIBA Local Ambassadors

Hearing that the FIBA Basketball World Cup is happening in the Philippines is already a huge deal for me. Filipinos are the biggest fans of it in the world, you can tell why as much of the streets are lined with basketball courts, big or small, just so we could have somewhere to play they game we absolutely love.

Yesterday was also extra special as SBP (Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas), FIBA and various affiliates introduced the local FIBA Ambassadors consisting of former Gilas Pilipinas players and the one and only Miss Universe Catriona Gray.

Here's what happened that morning

 

 During the event, they also announced the simultaneous start of the Tissot Time in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.  This means there's only "one year to go" before FIBA matches starts. They also have hinted that there will be a FIBA Global Ambassador later this year. This is also the first time in FIBA's history to see three countries hosting the games, with the Philippines heading the pack. They also mentioned that the local ambassadors wouldn't be the only ones to help disseminate information about the games, because YOU can be part of that too. You may start joining the community by registering here https://register.worldcup.basketball so you could get early bird rates on tickets and Superfan packages. 

What's also touching is that they plan to identify several basketball courts around the country that they will adopt so they could fix, restore and make them a project for the ambassadors together with the FIBA players, making sure they also get to see the culture and what Filipinos are known for, the heart filled hospitality.

Stay tuned for more updates about the games, plus the time they're raffling off the countries battling it out in the FIBA Basketball World Cup!