MANILA, Philippines — James Harden, the Houston Rockets star who is no stranger to Philippine basketball, and four others complete the NBA Selection of stars that will battle Gilas Pilipinas in two charity games next week in “Gilas Last Home Stand” at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“WOW! Completing out Fibr AllStars is 1st Team All-League guard James Harden witr Tyson Chandler & Brandon Jennings. Game na!” said basketball patron and telecommunications tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan in his twitter account @iamMVP yesterday morning.
Harden, Chandler, Jennings, Terrence Ross and Ed Davis will be joining a squad that already has Blake Griffin, Paul Pierce, Demar Derozan, Paul George, Damian Lillard, Nick Johnson, Kyle Lowry and recent NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
Harden will be making his second trip to the Philippines in the July 22-23 event after joining Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and several others in another NBA roadshow bankrolled by Pangilinan during the celebrated NBA lockout two years ago.
Playing against several NBA stars will definitely give Gilas the feel of world-class competition that it will be up against from Aug. 30-Sept. 14 in the Fiba World Cup in Spain.
Harden, Griffin, Derozan, George and Lillard are included in the 19-man pool that USA Basketball will pick from to form the American squad that will defend the world title in Spain.