MANILA, Philippines – Luis Scola and Yao Ming, two former NBA players, arrived in the Philippines on Friday before the Fiba World Cup 2023 main draw.

While Yao arrived in Manila on Friday, Scola, a global ambassador for the Fiba World Cup 2023, arrived on Thursday night. In an interview with News5’s Martie Bautista, Scola remarked, “There aren’t many places in the globe that have a passion for basketball as we have here in the Philippines, so it’s a terrific community.

Scola was the captain of Argentina during his prime as a well-known Fiba player. 2014’s Fiba World Cup journey for the former Indiana Pacer featured a close game with Gilas Pilipinas that Argentina ultimately prevailed in, 85-81.

While Tracy McGrady was the other half of the Houston Rockets’ dynamic duo in the 2000s, Yao made his mark on the basketball world.

Prior to his official retirement in 2011, Yao was a dependable name for China in Fiba competition.

For the main event, NBA veterans Carmelo Anthony and Pau Gasol will join the two veterans.

On Thursday, Dirk Nowitzki, who serves as a representative on the Fiba Central Board, also came to the nation. Many people even shared images and videos of the big man who could shoot three points at Tagaytay in Cavite  that Friday.

NBA happy to promote the FIFA World Cup in the Philippines

Mark Tatum, the NBA’s current deputy commissioner, thinks that the Fiba World Cup draw, which was held on Saturday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, will boost the level of anticipation among Filipino basketball fans before the country hosts the prestigious basketball tournament in August. In addition, as a member of the Fiba board, Tatum praised the nation’s enthusiasm for the historic World Cup 2023 draw, which included former NBA stars Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitzki as well as world ambassador Luis Scola.

Mark Tatum highlighted his excitement for the Fiba World Cup draw during a media roundtable held at the NBA Office on Thursday, pointing to the tremendous energy in the Philippines, where the draw was scheduled to take place. Tatum thought that the World Cup will provide basketball in the region more of a boost and energy as it will be staged in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

The idea that only the USA squad included NBA players was disproved by Mark Tatum, who remarked with considerable excitement that roughly 20 of the 32 teams competing in the Fiba World Cup would have NBA players. He emphasized the presence of NBA players on the national teams of Canada, France, Australia, and Spain. Tatum anticipated a record number of NBA players will compete in the World Cup and shared Ramez’s enthusiasm for having these players compete for their individual national teams in the market. The audience would adore this breakthrough.