NBA MVP rarin’ to show stuff – MVP

MANILA, Philippines - San Antonio’s Kahwi Leonard, who dished out an MVP performance during the recent NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, brings his winning act to Manila as he joins fellow NBA stars in the PLDT Home: The Last Home Stand All-Star Charity Event on July 22 and 23 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

No less than Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan made the announcement of the arrival of Leonard, Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors and former Arizona standout Nick Johnson in social media yesterday.

“Excited to greet the 1st of July w news that Nick Johnson, Kyle Lowry, & FINALS MVP Kawhi Leonard joining us for PLDT’s #GilasLastHOMEStand,” said Pangilinan on his Twitter account, @iamMVP where he about 75,000 followers.

Leonard, Lowry and Johnson will thus join former NBA slam dunk champion Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Brooklyn Nets’ Paul Pierce, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers and DeMar Derozan of the Toronto Spurs in the keenly awaited two-day event serving as a fund raiser for the Phl Disaster Relief Foundation and at the same time drum up Gilas Pilipinas’ stint in the upcoming world championship.

But focus will surely be on Leonard, who upstaged LeBron James with a stirring NBA Finals performance and helped the Spurs capture the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Put up by PLDT Home, Sports5, MVP Sports Foundation, the event will also feature a slam-dunk exhibition, three-point shootout, the John Lucas Skills Camp and Air Elite Dunkers.

Also expected to see action in the fund-raiser are Gilas Pilipinas standouts Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Gabe Norwood and Marc Pingris, all members of Gilas Pilipinas gearing up for the FIBA World Cup this August in Spain.

 “This is the best send-off game we can give to our Filipino fans who have been fervently following and cheering for Gilas Pilipinas. I hope the love and support for the team continues as we enter the biggest battle of our lives in Spain,” said Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes in a statement yesterday.

Tickets are on sale now starting at P750, available at all Ticketnet outlets. 

For details, check out lasthomestand.pldthome.com.