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Rice imports as of mid-March 886,963 MT
The country’s rice imports as of mid-March have surpassed the total volume recorded in the entire first quarter of last year by a double-digit rate, to over 880,000 metric tons, government data showed......»»
Andales cancels IBF world title fight in Japan
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Filipino ArAr Andales reportedly withdrew from his world title bout on March 31 in Nagoya, Japan. Andales was scheduled to fight the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) world minimumweight champion, Ginjiro Shigeoka of Japan. Their world title duel was supposedly a double-header world title bout with fellow Filipino Melvin Jerusalem gunning.....»»
Locked in: UE star rookie Casiey Dongallo dispels transfer rumors after 6-game skid
UE super rookie Casiey Dongallo quickly shuts down fast-swirling rumors of her looming exit from the Lady Warriors despite going through a lengthy six-game losing streak.....»»
Philippine bond market hits $217 billion in Q4
The Philippine bond market went up slightly in the fourth quarter of 2023 due to the increase in government bond issuances, according to a report from the Asian Development Bank......»»
Addressing the Philippines’ 2024 Threat Landscape: Kaspersky Launches KUMA Platform
To help Filipino businesses and organizations stay safe in cyberspace while embracing digitalization, Kaspersky announces today the launch of Kaspersky Unified Monitoring and Analysis Platform (KUMA), its integrated software solution that includes a set of functions for security information and event monitoring and management. The Philippines is expected to continue its double-digit growth towards $35B […].....»»
NBA: Antetokounmpo out with injury but Bucks still beat Clippers
MILWAUKEE — Not even the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo could cool off the Milwaukee Bucks. Damian Lillard scored 41 points as the Bucks came from behind to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 113-106 on Monday night for their sixth straight victory. Antetokounmpo watched from the bench with left Achilles tendinitis as the two-time MVP missed.....»»
NBA: Lillard’s 45 lift Bucks over Detroit
Damian Lillard scored a season-high 45 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 31 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over NBA doormat Detroit 141-135 on Saturday. Lillard, who arrived from Portland in a pre-season trade, had 11 assists and made 12-of-22 shots from the floor, 5-of-11 from 3-point range, and hit all 16 of his free throw attempts......»»
Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s big night, Bucks fall to Rockets
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks shave a 21-point deficit but the Rockets recover in time to pull through.....»»
LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo lead early NBA All-Star voting
LeBron James is a cinch for a 20th NBA All-Star selection as he leads voting in the West, while Giannis Antetokounmpo holds the top spot in the East.....»»
Bucks, Pacers square off as they fight over game ball
MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo exchanged heated words with members of the Indiana staff and raced toward the Pacers’ locker room Wednesday night as the teams squared off in a hallway in a dispute over the game ball following the Milwaukee star’s franchise-record 64-point performance. After the Bucks’ 140-126 victory, Antetokounmpo had an animated discussion with.....»»
Giannis goes berserk with career-high 64 points as Bucks trample Pacers
Giannis Antetokounmpo went on a scoring rampage and finished with a career-high 64 points Thursday morning (Manila time) as the Milwaukee Bucks halted the four-game winning streak of the Indiana Pacers, 140-126, at the Fiserv Forum......»»
Pacers spoil Giannis 54 points in stunner vs Bucks
The Indiana Pacers withstood the 54-point eruption of Giannis Antetokounmpo as they came from behind to stun the Milwaukee Bucks, 126-124, in their NBA match Friday morning (Manila time.).....»»
Lillard suportado ni Antetokounmpo
Lillard suportado ni Antetokounmpo.....»»
New power duo: Lillard, Giannis
Damian Lillard was once asked to pick a player he’d want as a teammate, and Giannis Antetokounmpo was his answer......»»
Greece rips Rondae Hollis-Jefferson-led Jordan
Greece bucked the absence of NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo as it routed Jordan, 92-71, to notch its first win in Group C of the FIBA World Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Saturday......»»
Greece s Antetokounmpo to sit out FIBA World Cup
There will be no Greek Freak for this year’s FIBA World Cup......»»
Great Brown Hope
The entire nation erupted in celebration when Kai Sotto finally made his debut in the National Basketball Association Summer League. It was such a memorable performance. The 7-foot-3 Filipino posted six points, four rebounds, three blocks, and an assist in the Orlando Magic’s 88-71 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers. Aside from washing away the bitterness from being benched in their first three matches against the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and New York Knicks, Sotto’s breakout performance could pave the way for him to land a two-way contract in the NBA. We, however, have to manage our expectations. The Filipinos’ road to the NBA is littered with tears, frustrations, and a lot of heartbreaks. Unlike the Chinese, Japanese, Iranians, and Koreans, no full-blooded Filipino has ever penetrated the NBA since its founding in 1946. Johnny Abarrientos came very close when he caught the attention of the Charlotte Hornets following Alaska’s grand slam season in 1996. In fact, the Hornets sent its international scout, Joe Bettancourt, to the country to watch the 5-foot-7 Abarrientos live and in action. Bettancourt was on the sidelines when Alaska battled Purefoods, hoping to give Abarrientos a 10-day contract that would have him replacing the injured Muggsy Bogues, the 5-foot-3 court general who ran the offense for Hornets coach Dave Cowens. Abarrientos, Bettancourt, and Alaska coach Tim Cone even had a “secret meeting” at the Manila Peninsula in 1997 to discuss the terms of Abarrientos’ contract and the possibility of him becoming the first Asian to play in the NBA. But it never happened. Cowens eventually pulled the plug on Bogues and sent him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for BJ Armstrong, a 6-foot-2 playmaker who was part of the great Chicago Bulls squad that won three straight NBA titles. With Bogues gone, Abarrientos’s chance of making it to the NBA also vanished. Japeth Aguilar tried to revive the Filipinos’ NBA dream a decade later. After seeing action for Ateneo de Manila University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines league, Aguilar moved to the United States to enroll at Western Kentucky University, a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I program that produced NBA players like Courtney Lee, Mitchell Robinson, and Jeremy Evans. But the 6-foot-9 Aguilar failed to adjust to the speed and physicality of American basketball that had him struggling in his two years with the Hilltoppers. Aguilar was invited to a two-day workout with the New Orleans Hornets but their scout, Don Sellers, said that he remained a “work in progress” and was not yet ready for the NBA. Then, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA D-League but his run also didn’t last long as he was eventually relegated to being a practice player until he was waived. Aguilar’s Gilas Pilipinas teammates — Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena — also tried their luck with the NBA but their journeys only brought them as far as the NBA D-League. Veteran international campaigner Jojo Lastimosa was spot on with his observation: In this time and age, making it to the NBA is harder than it used to be. It’s no longer height that matters, but the mentality, work ethic, international exposure, and overall skill set that are the most important. For Sotto to make it to the NBA, he has to develop a reliable outside shot and quicker feet that will make him deadly in pick-and-roll attacks and enable him to switch to smaller, faster players at the defensive end. He also has to spend a lot of time getting exposed to American basketball, where giants like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic are shooting, running, attacking, and dribbling like skilled playmakers. Sotto is a generational talent. He is our only hope to break the solid walls of the NBA, where only 450 roster spots are available. If he doesn’t make it, maybe — just maybe — it’s time for us to abandon our NBA dream. The post Great Brown Hope appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Giannis Antetokounmpo possibly absent in Greece s FIBA World Cup campaign in Manila
Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status for the FIBA World Cup is in doubt after he underwent a cleanup procedure in his left knee......»»
Giannis undergoes surgery, FIBA World Cup in doubt
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has had surgery on his left knee, the team confirmed Wednesday, leaving the basketball star’s participation for Greece in August’s FIBA World Cup in doubt. “He had a routine surgery on his left knee, and it went great,” Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said on Wednesday. “Everything went as planned, […] The post Giannis undergoes surgery, FIBA World Cup in doubt appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
NBA Draft prodigy Wembanyama set for commercial bonanza
Victor Wembanyama is only 19 and has not played a minute in an NBA jersey but the French teenager is poised to land an array of lucrative deals likely to make him one of the most commercially successful athletes in history. Wembanyama will take center stage at the NBA Draft in Brooklyn on Thursday when the gifted 7ft 4in (2.24m) center widely viewed as a once-in-a-generation basketball talent is set to be chosen with the number one pick by the San Antonio Spurs. Already, Wembanyama is being tipped to potentially land an improved $100 million contract with US sporting goods behemoth Nike, eclipsing the $90 million offered to LeBron James when he entered the league in 2003. If the $100 million figure comes to fruition, it would be the biggest contract ever handed to a player who has not yet played in the NBA. Sonny Vaccaro, the legendary 83-year-old marketing executive who signed Michael Jordan to Nike and Kobe Bryant to Adidas, believes Wembanyama's unique talent could command "historic" riches. "This is unique. But a deserved unique," Vaccaro told AFP. "In my lifetime of evaluating and making financial prices for athletes, I've never seen anything like it. This kid will make history." Nike, which already has a deal with Wembanyama, has hinted at its strategy to make the Frenchman a global superstar. "Think (Victor Wembanyama) will change basketball? Think bigger," Nike wrote in a social media post after this year's draft order was revealed last month. Wembanyama's mammoth Nike deal will likely be the first of many, according to Steve Rosner of 16W Marketing, who predicts multi-million dollar deals in areas such as trading cards and other derivative products. Unique endorser "Victor is going to be one of those guys that are going to be able to have a nice endorsement portfolio before he ever plays a second in the NBA," Rosner said. "Because of all the promotion and the hype coming up leading up to this, he'll be a unique endorser as well, as far as being able to have these deals in place before he steps on an NBA court." In decades gone by, such a commercial bonanza for a foreign NBA player would have been unthinkable. Overseas stars such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki, and Pau Gasol aroused little interest among sponsors. "Madison Avenue prefers an American guy," consultant Marty Blackman remarked in 1995 when commenting on how Olajuwon had failed to earn the sort of endorsement deals enjoyed by American players despite leading Houston to a second straight NBA championship. Victor Matheson, a professor at Holy Cross University, says that began to change in 2002 when China's Yao Ming entered the league. "Yao Ming was important, because not only was he a big name within the US, but he really opened up the Chinese market to the NBA as well," Matheson said. Today, the NBA's overseas fan base is larger than the entire population of the United States. According to Forbes magazine, Giannis Antetokounmpo, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and an NBA champion in 2021, earns more in off-court deals -- $45 million – than the salary paid to him by the Milwaukee Bucks of $42 million. "Victor can open up new markets," Matheson said. Rosner said Wembanyama's international profile is also likely to make him an attractive pitchman for multinationals such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's or Visa, who all signed deals with Yao. A world game now Twenty years ago, playing for a small-market NBA team such as San Antonio could have potentially diminished Wembanyama's commercial appeal. However, Vaccaro believes the global reach of the NBA and the rise of streaming and social networks have changed the dynamic. "It's a world game now, so it doesn't matter really," said Vaccaro. It may take time for Wembanyama to fully maximize his earning potential, though. The French prodigy and his entourage are in no hurry to cash in immediately. Wembanyama's agent, Bouna Ndiaye, who has represented numerous French NBA stars such as Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier, says the priority is basketball. "What we're trying to do, first of all, is make Victor rare," Ndiaye told ESPN. "We don't want him all over the place. We don't want to have 20 partners," Ndiaye said. "Victor is rejecting some rich, million-dollar deals right now because he wants to focus on basketball." Commercial partners, meanwhile, may also be reluctant to "give away the entire company to a player who actually hasn't played a single minute in the NBA", Matheson said. "I suspect they're going to be looking for a little bit more." Rosner, however, believes that if Wembanyama delivers on the court, commercial deals will be a formality. "Once he does everything on the court, then everything off the court will follow," Rosner said. Matheson echoed that position, stating that ultimately Wembanyama's fortune will be maximized through his achievements on the hardwood. "The reason that Jordan has become a billionaire is not that he signed one good deal but because his play over almost two decades meant that he could re-sign that deal and re-sign that deal and re-sign that deal," Matheson said. "In order to make LeBron James or Michael Jordan sort of money, it's not about signing that first deal. It's about showing what you can do actually on the court." The post NBA Draft prodigy Wembanyama set for commercial bonanza appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»