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Canada, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Mexico all started their campaign at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship on the right foot on Friday.

[ WATCH 2013 FIBA AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP FREE LIVE STREAMING ]

In the day's opening game, a more experienced team and much more training time together proved decisive for Team Canada as they cruised to an 85-64 win over Jamaica.

The 2013 FIBA Americas Championship for Men is the qualifying tournament for FIBA Americas at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The tournament is being held in Caracas, Venezuela, from August 30 to September 11, 2013.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT: The ten teams are split into two groups. The best four teams of each group advance to the second round, where the teams play against the four teams from the other group; each team carries over all points earned during the first round, except for those earned in the match against the team that was eliminated. The best four teams of this group advance to the semifinals and are qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The United States, which won the Olympic Gold Medal in 2012, automatically qualifies for the 2014 FIBA Tournament and does not have to participate as a result.

National coach Chot Reyes considers Gilas Pilipinas the underdog while ranged against all four teams that made the semifinal round of the 2013 FIBA AfroBasket in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

The host team, Angola, Egypt and Senegal won their respective quarterfinals matches to advance to the Final Four.

It’s Cote d’Ivoire versus Angola and Egypt against Senegal in the semifinals Friday with the winners automatically clinching spots in the 2014 FIBA World Cup. The losers dispute the third and last slot “WC” allotted for the African region

“They think we’re a joke?” Singletary asked rookie point guard Emman Monfort as they hugged and exchanged high fives.

Singletary finished with 38 points — the third time in four games that he scored at least that much — and grabbed 17 rebounds, completely outplaying Ginebra counterpart Dior Lowhorn. The victory gave Barako Bull a tie for the top spot in the team standings along with Petron.

Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva said he has no respect for undefeated American boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“Mayweather is a good boxer. But he talks too much. The guy no respect me,” the Brazilian mixed martial artist said in an interview with DJ Sway Calloway at Sirius XM Radio.

Silva is a future MMA hall of famer who enjoyed a 17-win streak in the UFC before losing his middleweight title to Chris Weidman last July.

Philippine national men’s basketball coach Chot Reyes was back in the country on Thursday morning after a scouting trip to the FIBA Africa Championship in the Ivory Coast.

And even though he went into the trip thinking he would have a low profile, the brains behind Gilas Pilipinas was surprised to find out that he was well-known among officials in the tournament because of the Philippines’ hosting of the FIBA Asia Championship earlier this month.

With the Philippines gaining a stellar reputation among officials of FIBA after successfully hosting the Asian championship tournament earlier this month, local basketball officials are studying the possibility of putting up a bid to host the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019.

Officials of the world basketball body were impressed with the country’s staging of the FIBA Asia Championship from August 1 to 11 at the Mall of Asia Arena, from the venue to the accommodations to the technical aspects of the broadcast.

On the fictional news broadcast "BV Patrol," mug shots of fugitive businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles were shown after she surrendered—on mugs.

Meanwhile, a photo of Napoles on her yacht with President Benigno Aquino III also surfaced on the Internet— however, her yacht looked suspiciously like the Titanic.

A total of 152 athletes have been initially named to the Philippine team that will compete in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) bared the partial roster yesterday and said another 100 athletes may be included in the list pending the result of their performances in the coming weeks, said POC chairman Tom Carrasco yesterday.

Widely known as a flopper and taunter, Alaska Aces forward Calvin Abueva said yesterday he’s misunderstood by fans who think he’s nothing more than a disrespectful showboat on the court.

Abueva, 25, stands 6-1 1/2 but on defense, he’s tapped to take on bigger players which is why he often resorts to playacting if only to call attention to the referees. 

“I can take the contact but sometimes, it’s too much and the referees still let it go,” he said in Pilipino. 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s long-rumored entry to the Philippines could be happening as soon as next year, according to a report.

In his Twitter account, MMAFighting.com and FOX Sports’ Ariel Helwani posted that UFC president Dana White spoke about staging a fight card in the country in 2014.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) may order rivals Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez to fight each order for a fifth time if both boxers triumph in their upcoming fights.

Marquez will challenge unbeaten American Timothy Bradley Jr. for the WBO welterweight title on October 12 in Las Vegas, while Pacquiao will take on Brandon Rios for the WBO international welterweight title on November 24 in Macau.

What’s left for a man who has won three Olympic sprint titles back-to-back?  Win all three again, of course.

Usain Bolt said Wednesday is planning to defend his 100, 200 and 4x100 meter relay golds at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016.

“To actually go to Rio and win again would be a feat in itself,” said Bolt, speaking ahead of the Weltklasse Diamond League meeting in Zurich.

The big names in the Men's and Women's Tennis , Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka, played on the Day 4 of US Open Tennis, the final grandslam of the year held in the Flushing Meadows, New York.

Rafa Nadal remains undefeated on hardcourts this year by crushing Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil 6-2 6-1 6-0 to storm into the third round of the U.S. Open on Thursday (Friday, PHL time).

Romeo has been at the receiving end of accusations ranging from being too individualistic to deliberately losing a game by bashers who were at it again on Wednesday after the Tamaraws’ lopsided 92-73 loss to five-time defending champion Ateneo.

Former Barangay Ginebra star Eric Menk will consider returning to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) if he gets a call from his former team.

The 39-year-old is currently signed with the San Miguel Beermen in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) together with former Meralco player Asi Taulava. The two played in tandem to lead the Beermen to their first title finish in the ABL.

When it rains, it pours for the Gilas-Pilipinas basketball team.

Already set to receive at least P1.5 million each from their benefactor and patron Manny V. Pangilinan, the members of the national team divide another P1 million to be given by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for its runner-up finish in the recent FIBA Asia Championship.

The official trailer for LINSANITY, the rags-to-riches story of Jeremy Lin, debuted over the weekend. The film looks to be nothing short of special.

The documentary follows the NBA star from his humble beginnings as a mediocre piano player in his youth to when he was a high school basketball standout. It also shows his struggles to earn a scholarship offer due to race and the trials and tribulations of making an NBA roster.

BREAKING: Fugitive businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles is finally in government custody Wednesday after weeks of evading arrest, her lawyer said.

Napoles, who is wanted for serious illegal detention, is now with President Benigno Aquino, Atty. Lorna Kapunan told ABS-CBN News.

The Palace confirmed Napoles' surrender.

The UFC returns to the Midwest on Wednesday as "UFC Fight Night 27: Condit vs. Kampmann 2" takes place from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Kampmann edged out a controversial split decision in what was Condit's UFC debut. But since then, the two men have traveled very different paths. Kampmann, "The Hitman," has struggled to put himself over the edge as a title contender while "The Natural Born Killer" went on a win-streak that earned him the interim welterweight belt.

WATCH 'UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Condit vs Kampmann' LIVE STREAMING BELOW:

De La Salle University guard Thomas Torres has been slapped with an automatic one-game suspension by the UAAP for incurring a second unsportsmanlike foul this season, leaving him out of the Archers' match against archrival Ateneo de Manila University on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Archers' starting point guard was called for his second unsportsmanlike foul during the team's 85-63 win over the University of the Philippines Maroons last August 24.

Former world champion and now Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya believes Mexican prodigy Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will not just beat Floyd Mayweather, but knock him out cold as well.

In an interview with Boxing Scene, De La Hoya expressed his confidence that the 22-year-old Alvarez can stop Mayweather, the premier defensive fighter of his generation. 

Negotiations are underway for a trade that would bring seldom-used scorer Joseph Yeo to Air21 Express in exchange for a first-round pick that would give Petron a good shot at Bobby Ray Parks in what should be a bountiful 2014 rookie batch.

Multiple sources said Air21 is close to wrapping up the deal that would give them the hard-slashing Yeo, who Express coach Franz Pumaren has long coveted to add to his present crop of former De La Salle stars led by Mike Cortez, Simon Atkins, Renren Ritualo, and Carlo Sharma.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is a 2013 American fantasy-adventure film based on the Rick Riordan novel of the same name. It is a sequel to the 2010 film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. 

PLOT: In order to restore their dying safe haven, the son of Poseidon and his friends embark on a quest to the Sea of Monsters to find the mythical Golden Fleece while trying to stop an ancient evil from rising.

Tracy McGrady pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history when he rallied the Houston Rockets over the San Antonio Spurs in 2004.Seven-time All-Star and two-time scoring champion Tracy McGrady is retiring from the NBA after 15 seasons.

If the goal is to beat the African teams in the world joust, the Nationals, of course, must learn how to handle the tall, athletic African players.

University of the East stars Charles Mammie and Lord Casajeros are set to be meted with two-game suspensions by the UAAP Commissioner's Office with two important games coming up for the Red Warriors.

According to league sources, Commissioner Chito Loyzaga decided to ban Mammie and Casajeros following a video review of separate incidents involving Far Eastern University star Terrence Romeo during Sunday's match which the Tamaraws won in double overtime, 98-94.

A day after reports came out about Air21 negotiations with Petron and Barangay Ginebra for high-scoring off-guard Joseph Yeo and big man Kerby Raymundo, information has reached Spin that the Express are also in talks with the Meralco Bolts.

But the Tams, led by Terrence Romeo, never gave up, and they embarked on a remarkable 8-1 scoring run in the final 17 seconds of the first overtime to force another extra period.

There’s a lot more at stake than just the WBO International welterweight title when Manny Pacquiao battles Brandon Rios in Macau on Nov. 23. Pacquiao is fighting for redemption, vindication and national pride. That’s why it’s a must-win situation for the Filipino ring icon who’s coming off back-to-back losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Those who are quick to write off Pacquiao, like Floyd Mayweather who called him a “has-been,” should think twice. Now more than ever, Philippine boxing needs a shot in the arm after bitter losses suffered by Pacquiao, Brian Viloria, Nonito Donaire, Denver Cuello, Malcolm Tunacao, A. J. Banal and Ana Julaton.

He later confirmed the news on his official Twitter account, thanking his supporters, but also adding, "Stay tuned."

When center Marcus Douthit limped off the court in the second period of Gilas Pilipinas’ semifinal game against South Korea never to return, it could’ve been the best thing that happened to the home team at the recent FIBA Asia Championship here.

Without Douthit in the middle, Korean coach Jae Hak Yoo took it as a signal to attack the interior. That was Yoo’s biggest mistake. The Koreans tried to exploit the mismatch at center with 6-8 Kim Joo Sung, 6-8 Eric Sandrin, 6-9 Lee Jong Hyun and 6-8 Kim Jong Kyu taking turns manning the slot. Left to play the five spot for Gilas was unlikely center Marc Pingris, who’s 6-5, with Ranidel de Ocampo, also 6-5, at the four position. Douthit could only watch helplessly from the bench, the pain throbbing in his swollen right shin like it was whacked by a sledgehammer.

A unanimous vote by the 11 member associations of Asean Football Federation (AFF) in Dili, Timor Leste, resulted in Australia becoming a full member of the AFF, Football Federation Australia announced Monday in a release on their website.

“Football Federation Australia is honored to be admitted to the ASEAN Football Federation. We look forward to being an active member, and to contributing to the ongoing development and success of football in our region”, said FFA General Secretary and CEO David Gallop.

Team James Younghusband recovered from an early deficit before pulling away with a 4-1 victory over Team Phil Younghusband  in the 2013 CLEAR Dream Match on Saturday night at the University of Makati football field.

With the teams beefed up by international football legends Fabio Cannavaro and Dennis Wise, the match was be competitive at the very start. Phil Younghusband quickly made his presence felt by burying a breakaway goal at the fourth minute to give his team an early 1-nil lead. Team James won 5-1.

WATCH 2013 Clear Dream Match Full Football Game Replay Video BELOW:

On a scale of one to 10, chef-de-mission Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla gave all the Filipino athletes that vied in the second Asian Youth Games here a perfect score.

“Definitely, they all get a 10,” said Padilla yesterday at the close of the 45-nation event among 2,641 athletes aged 14 to 17 years.

UAAP Season 76 School Standings As of August 24 2013. National University (NU) moved closer to league-leading Far Eastern University (FEU) at the UAAP men’s standings following its 75-61 win over University of Sto. Tomas (UST) on Saturday.

The Bulldogs now hold a 7-3 card, just a game away from the Tamaraws, who own a 7-2 record.

Former University of the East Red Warriors varsity Ruben Zaballa continue to pursue his passion for basketball as he plays for one of two teams which will represent Spain in the semifinals and finals of the 3x3 FIBA World Tour in Istanbul, Turkey this October.

The Barcelona-based player is the only Filipino among the 18 elite players who competed during the elimination rounds in Spain.

Calvin Abueva was a contender for Best Player of the Conference in the Philippine Cup and the Commissioner’s Cup.

Each time, despite impressive statistics, the Alaska Aces star rookie came up short after not getting enough votes from fellow players and members of the media.

The PBA Developmental League has announced the addition of a rookie draft prior to the start of the 2014 season, the league said in a statement on the official PBA Twitter account.

In the past, clubs were free to sign any players without restrictions, but the introduction of the draft looks to even the playing field by reducing the number of 'super teams' with stacked rosters.

The camp of Manny Pacquiao has denied that the Filipino superstar is going bankrupt after earning millions of dollars from professional boxing.

In a SPIN report by Snow Badua, Pacquiao’s chief of staff Roger “Haplas” Fernandez said just because his boss has decided to sell his Los Angeles mansion doesn’t mean he’s running out of money.

Asia’s No. 1 point guard Jayson Castro said yesterday he was never approached by a supposed NBA scout for the New York Knicks evaluating players at the recent FIBA-Asia Championships here but if there’s a chance to try out, why not? Castro’s agent Danny Espiritu confirmed the scout’s presence although he, too, was not approached.

“I wasn’t introduced to him,” said Espiritu. “I told Jayson for sure, he’ll be approached during the FIBA World Cup in Spain.”

Three days before anti-pork barrel rallies planned in key cities nationwide – the first major demonstration during his administration that has been anchored on an anti-corruption slogan – President Benigno Aquino III announced that it is time to abolish the lawmakers' Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Media reports and a special state audit have found billions in senators' and congressmen's PDAF going to dubious non-governmental organizations, which in turn reported ghost projects and beneficiaries.

Being one of seven teams that has already qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the Gilas Pilipinas is all geared up for Spain. We look ahead to our competition and (as a basketball-crazy nation) who we're excited to see our players matchup with.

Teams at the world stage pride themselves of a team-first mentality, and as such, there aren't too many players who really stand out. We know some of them though as they have shown their skills in other more popular venues, like the NBA and even the Spanish league.

The 2013 US Open Men’s Singles Draw was made known on Thursday, August 22, 2013 with interesting match-ups projected in the latter stages of the tournament.

There will be no repeat of the 2012 US Open final as top seed Novak Djokovic and defending champion Andy Murray have been drawn in the top half of the 128-man draw. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are both in the bottom half of the draw and could meet in a blockbuster quarter-final clash.

The United States Open Tennis Championships (US OPEN) is a hard court tennis tournament which is chronologically the fourth and final tennis major comprising the Grand Slam each year.

2013 US Open Tennis will be held on August 26 - September 9, 2013 in Flushing Meadows, New York. World no.3 Andy Murray is the defending champion while Novak Djokovic is the runner-up last year.

Men's Singles DRAW -  [LIVE STREAM #1]
Women's Singles DRAW -  [LIVE STREAM #2] 

Tropical Depression ‘Napoles’?

As Tropical Storm Maring exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Wednesday and a new low pressure area is spotted by the state weather bureau on Thursday, is it possible to name the next typhoon-which will carry the initial ‘N’- after businesswoman and alleged P10 billion pork scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles?

After a twinbill postponed by inclement weather last Wednesday, the PBA Governors’ Cup gets back into gear with scheduled games on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Commissioner’s Cup champion Alaska finally gets to make its tournament debut against GlobalPort in the opening match at 5:15 p.m. before unbeaten defending champion Rain or Shine battle Petron at 7:30 p.m.

The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup is more than a year away, but Philippine national men’s basketball coach Chot Reyes has already begun doing his homework.

The brains behind Gilas Pilipinas will embark on a trip to the FIBA AfroBasket 2013 tournament currently ongoing in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan after receiving his travel documents on Thursday.

The United States Open Tennis Championships (US OPEN) is a hard court tennis tournament which is chronologically the fourth and final tennis major comprising the Grand Slam each year; the other three are the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

2013 US Open Tennis will be held on August 26 - September 9, 2013 in Flushing Meadows, New York. World no.3 Andy Murray is the defending champion while Novak Djokovic is the runner-up last year.

Men's Singles DRAW -  [LIVE STREAM #1]
Women's Singles DRAW -  [LIVE STREAM #2] 

Gilas Pilipinas now has a different mindset following its sensational second-place finish in the recent FIBA Asia Championship.

National team coach Chot Reyes said they have proven that Gilas can be competitive even when lined up against bigger and taller teams.

The massive flooding due to the southwest monsoon that has inundated most of Metro Manila and nearby provinces over the past three days has caught the attention of two National Basketball Association (NBA) superstars.

Los Angeles Lakers power forward Pau Gasol and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade both took to social media to express their concern over the situation here.

If Manny Pacquiao is fine, he won't have any problem beating Brandon Rios, according to the Filipino boxer's former strength and conditioning coach.

Justin Fortune, who has worked with Pacquiao in the past, said the only concern the fighting congressman would have to address is his recent knockout loss.