The Samahan ng Basketbol ng Pilipinas has just announced the Gilas Pilipinas 13-man lineup that will compete for the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers – Fourth Window which will be held in Lebanon.
Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year awardee and Fil-Am Jordan Clarkson will be the main attraction of this squad. He will also serve as the team’s naturalized player and will be his second time donning the Gilas jersey since the 2018 Asian Games played in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Though he was not able to make it to the big league by not being selected in the 2022 NBA Draft, Kai Sotto may use this tournament to showcase his talents that can turn the heads of many NBA scouts who might be present in this fourth window.
The 2021 and the reigning MVP of the Philippines Basketball Association will be also part of this dream team. Scottie Thompson of the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will bring his rebounding talents plus his newly discovered offensive weapons abroad. Thompson will be joined by his Gin Kings teammate Japeth Aguilar.
Several Filipinos who are playing as imports in Japan B-League also made the cut. These are Bobby Ray Parks, Dwight Ramos, Kiefer, and Thirdy Ravena.
To complete the crew, SBP also announced Chris Newsome (Meralco Bolts), Calvin Oftana (NLEX Road Warriors), Jamie Malonzo (Northport Batang Pier), Roosevelt Adams (Terrafirma Dyip), and the only one from amateur ranks is Carl Tamayo (University of the Philippines).