Gilas' Middle East games to be streamed on Smart GigaPlay

Dwight Ramos joins Gilas for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers 5th window games on Nov. 11 and 14. Dennis Acosta (file photo)

By Dugout Philippines

MANILA—Smart brings Gilas Pilipinas action vs Jordan and Saudi Arabia this week via the GigaPlay App as our men’s national team fights for flag and country during the fifth window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers 2023.

Gilas is set to battle Jordan in Amman on Nov. 11 12 a.m. PHT, Friday (with replay at 10:30 a.m. PHT), before making the trip to Jeddah to play the Saudi Arabian national team on Nov. 14 12 a.m. PHT, Monday (with replay at 8:30 a.m. PHT).

Gilas Pilipinas coaches announced the 13-man roster that will make the trip to compete in the two matches overseas. Back in the fold for Gilas Pilipinas are members of the current pool led by 7-foot-2 Adelaide 36ers center Kai Sotto, together with Japan B.League imports Dwight Ramos, Thirdy Ravena, and Bobby Ray Parks.

Meanwhile, the PBA takes a short break to loan key players led by reigning league MVP Scottie Thompson alongside Barangay Ginebra teammates Japeth Aguilar and Jamie Malonzo. Also answering the Gilas call-back are CJ Perez of San Miguel Beermen and TNT’s Roger Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, and Poy Erram.

De La Salle University’s Kevin Quiambao and Ateneo de Manila University’s Ange Kouame occupy the last two slots.

Missing games for this window due to various injuries are six-time PBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Junemar Fajardo of San Miguel, Meralco’s Chris Newsome, University of the Philippines’ Carl Tamayo, and Kiefer Ravena of the Shiga Lakestars in the Japan B.League.

Currently carrying a 3-3 win-loss slate, Gilas Pilipinas has already qualified for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup by virtue of the Philippines being one of the host countries. Despite this, the team continues to go all out during the remaining games of the qualifiers as it prepares to face even bigger competition on the world stage

As FIBA global partner, Smart enables customers to immerse in world-class basketball action powered by the Philippines’ Fastest and Best Mobile Network as recognized by Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband network intelligence.

Know more about how Smart is bringing epic live sports to Filipinos via the GigaPlay App at  https://smart.com.ph/Pages/gigaplay and by downloading it on the App Store or Google Play Store.

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