NBA champion Bruce Bowen made a short visit to the Philippines to witness firsthand the Filipinos' love for basketball.
The former San Antonio Spur engaged in NBA Cares events and attended a pair of NBA Finals viewing parties over the last couple of days and was ecstatic to find out how much the local hoop fans were crazy about the sport.
"You see it in the passion of all the things they've been able to support. It's funny how in a lot of areas you see a lot of basketball goals, you see a lot of kids playing basketball. When you can look at things and see the passion and enthusiasm, and then you add [these viewing parties] to the mix as far as being able to follow the NBA, we know the Philippines is the number one country outside of the U.S. that follows the NBA so it shows that (the love for the game) is there and it's just a matter of time before you have someone from Manila playing in the NBA," Bowen said on Monday.
What Bowen also realized is that Filipinos are excited to support the men's and women's national teams competing in the upcoming FIBA 3x3 World Cup. Since it was added to the Olympics, 3-on-3 basketball has gained traction in the country and only got boosted with the popularity of the BIG3 league in the United States.
The Philippines is set to host the FIBA 3x3 World Cup at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, where 40 teams will compete. The Philippine men's team will be composed of Stanley Pringle, Troy Rosario, Roger Pogoy and Christian Standhardinger, while the women's team will comprise of Gemma Miranda, Jack Danielle Aminam, Afril Bernardino and Janine Pontejos.
Both teams are currently preparing for the tournament, where they are considered as underdogs.
But how can 3-on-3 basketball be any different from playing 5-on-5? Bowen said it's more complicated than people think.
"It's half-court basketball, there's no secret to that. (But) obviously it takes more concentration. You have guys playing different roles when you play 5-on-5, but when you talk about 3-on-3 you need to have players who can break guys down and create shots for others," explained Bowen.
"If you can break someone down, now the other defender has to help and then somebody is open. You got to have a shooter, you must have a shooter at all times. You need someone who can score and someone who can get the ball in the right hands of individuals," he added.
Bowen also said "matchup problems are what you want in those type of scenarios."
When asked which players he would want to have if he were to assemble his own 3-on-3 team, Bowen chose a trio from the defending NBA champs.
"You can take the three from Golden State -- Klay (Thompson), Steph (Curry), and (Kevin) Durant -- that's who I would go with."