NBA veteran Lamar Odom and Ginebra resident import Justin Brownlee will be suiting up for Mighty Sports in the Dubai International Basketball Tournament in February next year.
Odom announced his plan to play for Mighty Sports through his Instagram, adding that he’s excited to be given an opportunity to represent the Philippines in the Dubai tournament that will be participated in by top Middle East teams.
This will mark the second time that Mighty Sports will be competing in the premier Middle East event, having played there two years ago, with Brownlee as one of the team’s imports.
Mighty Sports team owner Caesar Wongchuking is also hoping to tap other NBA veterans to boost their title campaign after producing only one win the last time.
“We welcome Mr. Lamar Odom to the Mighty Sports family,” said Wongchuking. “It’s a great honor to have such a great player to be part of our team representing the Philippines. My thanks to coach Charles Tiu and player agent Sheryl Reyes.”
Also tapped to play for the team, according to Tiu, is American Randolf Morris, who plays for the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Odom, 39, made waves during his time with the LA Lakers where he helped superstar Kobe Bryant win the championships in 2009 and 2010.
He also played for the US in the 2004 Olympics and the 2010 Fiba World Championship.
Wongchuking also plans to invite collegiate stars like La Salle’s Santi Santillan and UP’s Juan Gomez de Liano to be part of the team, along with Gab Banal and former PBA star Joseph Yeo.
“We hope to add star power to the team because we have lots of fans in Dubai,” added Wongchuking.
This early, Odom is eager to meet his teammates and interact with Filipino fans. He is scheduled to arrive in January next year.
