The Philippines is one of the most basketball-crazed countries in the world. From Baguio to Caguyan de Oro, basketball has virtually become the nation’s national pastime. Professional basketball players such as Doug Kramer are household names throughout the archipelago nation and are subjects for reality TV. The once-popular Team Kramer highlighted the family life of Kramer and celebrity wife Cheska Garcia in weekly episodes, however, little is known of the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) player internationally. Outside the Philippines, arguably the most famous player in the Philippine league, ironically, is not a basketball player, but a boxer: 5’5” (1.66 m) Manny Pacquiao.
The NBA takes notice of basketball’s undeniable popularity in the Philippines by bringing exhibition games to the Philippines and having All-Star teams complete against the PBA’s best. Despite the NBA’s goodwill visits to the Philippines, which continues to feed the nation’s insatiable appetite for the sport, few players, if given the opportunity, would opt to play in the PBA perhaps until now.
The International Business Times reports the exciting possibility of two NBA stars considering stints in the PBA. In a Saturday, July 29 post, John Tan reports former Los Angeles Lakers Lamar Odom and Jordan Clarkson’s interest in playing for a PBA franchise team.
Clarkson, a nationalized Philippine citizen, thus far, has represented the Philippines in last year’s Asian Games but has yet to play extensively in the Philippine league. Five years removed from the NBA limelight, Lamar Odam looks to revive his career after being ousted from a 3-on-3 league due to poor health.
Can Odam and Clarkson make a splash in the PBA and make the league a viable option for international players? Only time will tell.