Naturalization for NBA vets McGee, Blatche sought to boost Gilas

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Juan Edgardo Angara filed bills seeking the naturalization of NBA players Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee, who are being considered as reinforcements for the Philippines’ national men’s basketball team, on Thursday, February 6.

Angara, who chairs the Senate committee on games, amusement, and sports, said the country’s “recent modest ascent” in the FIBA standings “ought to be sustained.”

Clearing the way for Blatche and McGee to play for the Philippine team is a step toward sustaining this “development of Philippine basketball in the international scene,” he said in the introduction of his bills.

Both Blatche and McGee would be considered as reinforcements for Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippines’ national men’s basketball team, ahead of the squad’s upcoming stint in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

McGee, 26, who is playing for the Denver Nuggets, was a former Washington Wizards teammate of Batche. He pitched to Blatche the idea of coming to the Philippines and helping out the nationals.

“I said I’m interested, so there’s a good chance of it happening,” Blatche, 27, who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets, said in an ESPN report about the possibility of playing for Gilas .

When naturalized, McGee and Blatche will have to give up their US citizenship and will become full Filipino citizens.

Both are NBA big men who can provide much-needed height and depth for Gilas in the center position.

The 7-foot McGee was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA Draft, while the 6-foot-11 Blatche is a power forward and center with career averages of 9.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

With the current 12-man Gilas roster, naturalized player Marcus Douthit and 24-year-old June Mar Fajardo are the ones manning the paint.

Douthit, 33, was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA before being naturalized in 2010. He helped lead the nationals to winning the 2010 Philippine Invitational Cup and the 2012 William Jones Cup. He also played a key role in the Philippines’ silver-medal finish in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship to qualify for this year’s World Cup.

This is not the first time that the Philippines has sought enforcements for the national team through naturalized players.

In 1985, the Philippines won the William Jones Cup and the ABC Championships (now the FIBA Asia Championship) with the help of 3 naturalized players: Dennis Still, Jeff Moore, and Chip Engelland. 

Other naturalized athletes have also played under the Philippine flag in other sports. They include 14^th and 15^th SEA Games gold medalist for swimming Akiko Thomson and SEA games medalist and swimming champion Christine Jacob-Sandejas. – Rappler.com

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