Advertisement - scroll for more content
Kevin Quiambao has officially begun his pursuit of a spot in the NBA Summer League Quiambao, the Korean Basketball League (KBL) revelation, arrived in Sacramento on Thursday to try out for a spot in the Kings’ Summer League team roster.
In his return to the Philippines, former NBA Coach of the Year Byron Scott has more to do, as opposed to merely being a visitor. Scott is coaching Fil-Am Nation Select USA in its title defense bid in the 2025 Smart-NBTC National Finals. "We want to do back-to-back. We have a bunch of guys who love to compete," Scott said.
Scott's hiring sure is a statement, but the 14-year NBA pro admitted that this partnership offers no guarantee especially with this setup being a unique one for his part. "I have been coaching pretty young teams but this is definitely the youngest.," the 64-year-old tactician admitted, with his players all being 19-under – a far cry from his past NBA coaching jobs where he handled marquee names like Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Kyrie Irving.
Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins will be representing a Philippine squad once again. The 34-year-old big man will don the Philippine colors anew, this time for the Strong Group Athletics (SGA) team that will compete in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship from January 24 to February 2 next year. In a statement, SGA head coach Charles Tiu confirmed that Cousins will be a big boost for the squad. “We worked hard to get DeMarcus. I’ve heard great feedback about him, and I’ve spoken to him a couple of times. He’s serious, means business, and wants to win. We’ve even been discussing personnel matters already,” Tiu said.
Advertisement
Jared McCain says he's partly Filipino
Add Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain to the list of current NBA players with Filipino roots. McCain on Thursday acknowledged his Asian heritage and revealed he is partly Filipino. “Shout out to my Asian community. I am a Filipino. I mean, only like 10 percent, but that counts right?” said McCain in a livestream video with his teammate Adem Bona.
After winning his second PBA title with TNT, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had a different tone when asked about his NBA ambitions. “For sure, it’s still the highest league in the world. It’ll always be in my mind but I feel like at a point in your life, God puts you where you need to be and I think where we go wrong is we fight that,” Hollis-Jefferson told reporters after the title victory.
“Right now, I’m in the air of appreciating the people that are in front of me. If the NBA calls me, my agent calls me and says hey the NBA wants to give you another chance, I’m ready. I’m just gonna continue and enjoy the people around me,” Hollis-Jefferson explained.
Advertisement
Filipino team Magnolia Hotshots has secured former Celtics player Jabari Bird for the 2024-25 season.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement