GILAS Pilipinas begins its bid to retain the men’s basketball gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games against Bahrain on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.
The Bahrainis are set to parade four naturalized players, including former NBA player Jakarr Sampson, as they try to give the reigning champion a run for its money on the second day of the basketball competitions at the Aichi International Arena.
The 33-year-old Sampson will be joined by 6-foot-10 Uros Ilic, 6-foot-11 Elijah Thomas, and former NCAA Division 1 player Austin Ajukwa.
“He’s good. He can shoot from the outside, he’s very strong,” said Gilas lead deputy Richard Del Rosario of Sampson, who previously suited up for Philadelphia, Denver, Sacramento, Chicago, and Indiana.
“We have a pretty good idea of how to battle against Bahrain,” added the Barangay Ginebra assistant coach, who was in charge of scouting the opposition in this 20th edition of the Asiad.
Gilas Pilipinas will go into the 1 p.m. game with the benefit of finally parading a complete 12-man roster following the arrival of forward Calvin Oftana at the Aichi Prefecture on Wednesday morning.
The TNT stalwart, however, failed to join the national team on the court for the first time as practice was called off that same day after the local government declared all training sessions cancelled because several venues were flooded by the torrential rains that battered the city.
Nonetheless, head coach Tim Cone said, “The guys feel ready, and are excited to represent.”
Oftana, coming off hamstring and toe injuries, takes the place of naturalized player Justin Brownlee, who is still in the US recovering from his hamstring and various knee injuries.
The rest of the all-PBA Gilas team is composed of Robert Bolick, Adrian Nocum, Don Trollano, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Sedrick Barefield, RJ Abarrientos, Zavier Lucero, Justin Baltazar, Justin Arana, Brandon Bates, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser.
The Philippines and Bahrain are in Pool C along with Kazakhstan and China.
After Bahrain, Gilas faces Kazakhstan on Saturday, then takes a one-day rest before meeting China on Monday in a rematch of the 2023 Asiad semifinals in Guangzhou. / PBA.PH