“May not be like ... LeBron James, but it's a formidable team”: Philippine Basketball’s mixed reactions to lack of NBA superstars at FIBA World Cup

A lot of fans looking to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup were saddened after hearing news that some of the biggest names expected to join the event have pulled out for various reasons like injuries.

Filipino fans were hopeful that they get to see the likes of NBA superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic in action for Greece and Serbia, respectively.

However, Jokic was not listed in Serbia's preliminary FIBA Basketball World Cup pool, while Antetokounmpo himself announced last week that he is begging off as well to recover faster from recent knee surgery.

For Sonny Barrios, the executive director of the Philippines' national basketball federation, they have somehow anticipated that this could happen.

Some other fans, on the other hand, expressed disappointment upon USA Basketball's announcement of its final 12-man lineup to the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Team USA usually brings in a young core for the World Cup, which could have included Ja Morant and Trae Young. But their omission left fans puzzled and even believing that Team USA could finish worse than their all-time worst seventh place from the 2019 edition in China.

Speaking to Sportskeeda after the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday at the Meralco Gym in Pasig, Barrios said in Filipino:

"Those are the challenges. The people's expectation is really high, especially the Filipino fans who are very knowledgeable. It's kinda sorry for us that they won't be able to play here."

However, head coach Steve Kerr and assistant Erik Spoelstra, from Barrios' understanding, have become more motivated to prove the critics wrong.

Barrios said,

"Even the USA team, they say, 'Why are the big names not here?' But the NBA said it's a very competitive team, and last I heard, Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra are really sharpening the blending of this USA team because they are being underestimated. So the two coaches became more motivated: 'We should show that our team is stacked.'"

To add, Al Panlilio, the president of the Philippines' basketball federation, believes that Team USA, led by reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero and rising Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves, is still stacked enough to the point that he sees them as a team to beat in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

In a separate interview with Sportskeeda, Panlilio said in a mix of English and Filipino,

"The USA team looks very formidable. They may not be like Steph Curry and LeBron James, but it's a formidable team."

FIBA World Cup not lacking talent

He also said that some other players could pull off surprise acts based on their pre-tournament play like Spain's Santi Aldama.

Panlilio continued,

"For the others, if you've been watching Spain, I actually don't know some players there like Aldama, and suddenly, when you see them, 'Wow! [They're] impressive players.' All the teams that are coming in here are world-class quality players also."

He also thinks that Greece, who joins Team USA in Group C along with Jordan and New Zealand, is still stacked even without Antetokounmpo.

Panlilio further said,

"Of course, we wanted Giannis hopefully, but we understand why he can't make it. But I think Greece can still be very competitive, so it's still a chance for us to really see what world-class basketball is all about."

For a piece of good news for Filipino fans, though, Karl-Anthony Towns has joined Dominican Republic's practices. This means he could be in the final lineup that will face the Jordan Clarkson-led Philippines in the FIBA Basketball World Cup's opening game on Aug. 25 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue.

The Philippines look to break the record for the most attended FIBA Basketball World Cup game, which is currently held by Canada when 32,616 fans attended the 1994 final between Team USA and Russia.

According to Philippine basketball federation officials, about 28,000 tickets have already been sold. This is more than half the total seating capacity of the Philippine Arena, which is 55,000, although they said that due to the specifics, the seating capacity in the meantime would be reduced to 46,000.