FRANCIS “LeBron” Lopez, the Ateneo high school standout who previously played for the Gilas squad of former head coach Tab Baldwin, has joined the new iteration of the national men’s basketball team.
After his supposed stint for the Overtime Elite was rejected by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Lopez was asked by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) to join the Gilas team that is preparing for the Fiba World Cup Qualifiers later this month at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Lopez’s presence in the Gilas’ pool was confirmed in a social media post by head coach Chot Reyes, which also saw assistant coach Marc Pingris take part in some conditioning drills.
The 18-year-old had a brief yet impressive stint for the Gilas during the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers. Fielded in for just 10 minutes against Indonesia, Lopez proceeded to fill up the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.
Lopez is the latest addition to a pool that already has Juan Gomez de Liaño, Dwight Ramos, Thirdy Ravena, Angelo Kouame, William Navarro, Jaydee Tungcab, and Tzaddy Rangel. Also in the pool are several players from the TNT Tropang Giga and Northport star Robert Bolick.
The Gilas has a packed schedule that features games against South Korea, India and New Zealand starting on Feb. 24.