Swaggy P is suiting up for a Charles Tiu-coached team in a Dubai tourney.
Last December 6, former NBA star Nick Young aka Swaggy P went on Twitter and teased Filipino basketball fans at a potential stint in the PBA.
The idea wasn’t far-fetched considering that NBA legend Dwight Howard had already become an import in Taiwan at the time. The PBA is also not new to NBA veterans, getting the services of the likes of Cedric Ceballos, Chris Morris, and Henry Walker before. For sure, many welcomed the prospect of seeing Young suit up for a PBA team.
After three weeks, it’s been confirmed that the 12-year NBA veteran will play for a Philippine-based team, but not under any PBA franchise.
Instead, the 2018 NBA champion will see action for Strong Group Realty — the squad that will take over for Mighty Sports in the 32nd Dubai International Basketball Championship.
Like Mighty Sports, the Jacob Lao-owned club will represent the Philippines in the international meet, and will still be coached by Charles Tiu. In essence, the Philippines are the defending champions going into the Dubai tourney after Mighty Sports won it all back in 2020 before the pandemic hit.
Coach Tiu and the rest of Strong Group are now banking on their new reinforcement to achieve the same kind of success.
One Sports reached out to Tiu, according to him, they got in touch with Nick Young’s team and things just fell into place.
“[We] got in touch with his (Young) agent and we were able to work it out . . . practice muna sa Manila, then he’ll go to Dubai with me.”
With Swaggy P’s colorful personality and flashy playing style, a different dimension will surely be added to coach Tiu’s squad. Still, the high profile import’s calling card will be his scoring prowess. The 37-year old streak shooter ended his NBA career averaging 11 points per game, but at his best, he was able to put up 17.9 ppg on a nightly basis for the Lakers.
The 32nd Dubai International Basketball Championships will take place from January 27 to February 5, 2023.