Carmelo Anthony Manila-bound anew for FIBA World Cup final phase

MANILA, Philippines – NBA and international basketball legend Carmelo Anthony is coming to Manila to witness the final phase of the biggest basketball event on the planet.

Also serving as the global ambassador for the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the retired NBA cager said he’s returning to the Philippines after his first foray here last February.

Heading to Manila this week to see who's going to bring home the Naismith Trophy! #FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/6V9pdlquQ0

— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) September 5, 2023

“Heading to Manila this week to see who's going to bring home the Naismith Trophy,” said Anthony, who retired from the NBA and international play this year.

Anthony, 39, played 19 seasons in the NBA where he became one of the league history’s greatest players marked by 10-time NBA All-Star selections and scoring champion awards while being a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and No. 9 in the all-time scoring list.

But he also shone bright in the world stage, highlighted by a feat of three straight gold medals for Team USA in the Olympics.

The dynamic forward was a member of the FIBA All-Star Five in the 2006 World Cup (formerly known as World Championship) where Team USA placed third and the leader in Team USA's FIBA AmeriCup championship in 2007.

He’s also the all-time second leading scorer for Team USA with 336 points through his four Olympic stints ignited by a bronze-medal in his rookie year in 2004. 

Now albeit on a different role, Anthony continues to love and serve the game with Spain’s Pau Gasol and Argentina’s Luis Scola as fellow World Cup global ambassadors.

The World Cup, which also had legs in Jakarta, Indonesia and Okinawa, Japan, is currently in its quarterfinal phase at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City with the Philippines serving as the main host.

The Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City also housed some games led by the Gilas Pilipinas home stand with Filipino-American NBA pride Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz at helm.