FILE – Jalen Green. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Despite the hurdles, Fil-American Jalen Green is still not discounting the possibility of suiting up for Gilas Pilipinas sometime in the future.
“It could be a possibility,” said Green in a Zoom press conference for the NBA Republika Playoffs Thursday.
Green is of Filipino descent. His mother Bree hails from Ilocos Sur and his maternal grandfather is a full-blooded Filipino, but wearing the Philippine colors in the 2023 Fiba World Cup still remains far fetched.
There are still doubts if Green had secured a Philippine passport before he turned 16. He has also already played for Team USA in junior Fiba tournaments.
Green, who is the top high school prospect of the 2020 class, won gold medals in the Under-19 and Under-17 World Cups, where he was even named the MVP.
“I’ve won medals with Team USA, only time will tell at this point,” said Green. “I don’t know at this point in time. I played for the USA in the youth team before, so I’m not sure if I could play [for Gilas]. But it could happen.”
Green, though, played twice in the Philippines when he featured in the NBTC National Finals as part of FilAm Sports USA.
Despite playing in the Philippines, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ push to have him play for Gilas, Green has so much admiration for Team USA.
“It was a great experience for me, I love USA Basketball,” said Green. “You have to be at the top of your game. You have to adjust and come out with energy playing out there against all these top teams, trying to win a gold medal. That’s something you don’t get to do at age 17.”