NBA star Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto set to lead the Philippines at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 on home soil
The Philippines have announced their preliminary squad for the Olympic qualification tournament, as they prepare to face the Dominican Republic in their first match in August.
Basketball
The coach of the Philippines men’s basketball team, Chot Reyes, announced his preliminary squad list of 21 players for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 on Wednesday (7 June).
The NBA player Jordan Clarkson, who has recorded career-best numbers with the Utah Jazz this season, is the favourite to claim the naturalized spot on the roster, where he is up against Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame.
Kai Sotto of Hiroshima Dragonflies has also been included in the squad to the delight of home fans. He still has hopes of playing in the NBA, and the 2.18m tall player boosted his chances with a number of double-doubles in the Japan Basketball League.
See the full Philippines preliminary squad list here:
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 will take place in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia from 25 August to 10 September. It is the first time the World Cup is hosted by multiple nations in Asia.
32 teams are featuring, where ‘the Gilas Pilipinas’ are placed in group A with Angola, Dominican Republic, and Italy. The Philippines will be playing their group games in Manila's Araneta Coliseum.
“It's going to be an amazing experience, people seeing the country, being able to experience that. Seeing the love people have for basketball there, I wouldn't be surprised if every game is sold out. It's going to be really loud there and everybody is going to feel that love and support when you walk around the city, while playing games." Jordan Clarkson said to FIBA during the NBA All-Star weekend.
The best result by the Philippines at the FIBA Basketball World Cup was in 1954, when they claimed bronze.
Olympic slots for the Paris 2024 Games are at stake in the World Cup, where the top two teams from each of the Americas and Europe, and the top team from each of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, will qualify alongside France, who are automatically qualified as hosts.