Iverson sets PH return

ALLEN Iverson leads a cast of American street ballers as the former NBA superstar returns to Manila for the All-In basketball charity game on Nov. 5 at Mall of Asia Arena.

Iverson, the 2001 NBA MVP and top rookie pick in the 1996 Draft, will call the shots for the Ball Up team bannered by former NBA players Steve Francis and Eddy Curry and the crafty And1 street ballers.

The Americans will go up against a local selection composed of PBA legends and collegiate standouts from the UAAP and NCAA.

“We’re very excited and we’re looking forward to coming to the Philippines,” said Iverson’s agent Gary Moore in a phone patch during yesterday’s press conference at NBA Cafe in SM Aura.

Iverson, the Philadelphia 76ers icon who first visited Manila in 1998, will also conduct basketball clinics, mall tours and site visits for Gawad Kalinga, the beneficiary of the charity game organized by PCWorx.

“He has been doing a lot of basketball clinics and so the main thing he’ll be doing here is sharing his knowledge and tips to the youth,” said agent Sheryl Reyes, Iverson’s representative in Asia.

Tickets, priced from P600 (general admission) to as high as P6,500 (VIP), will be sold in SM Ticket outlets nationwide and PCWorx branches in Luzon.

“[The proceeds of the charity game] will hopefully help people change their lives for the better,” said PCWorx president Jake Oh.