ALLAN THE MAN

As a teenager Pacquiao often played sandlot basketball with neighborhood friends and built a court after he won the IBF world super bantamweight title with a 6th round TKO over Lelohonolo Ledwaba on June 23, 2001 in Las Vegas.

The Philippine national youth basketball team ended its long search for an elusive victory in the FIBA Under-17 World Basketball Championship after steamrolling host United Arab Emirates, 115-51, to finish its campaign on Saturday in Dubai.

Paul Desiderio scored 25 points to lead Batang Gilas as they notched their first triumph in seven tries for a 15th-place finish out of the 16 participating teams in the tournament.

Batang Gilas dominated the game from start to finish, building a cushion as large as 68 points as they avoided returning home without bagging a victory in the tournament.

WATCH BATANG GILAS vs UAE FULL REPLAY VIDEO BELOW:

For the Philippine national basketball team (Gilas Pilipinas),  it’s home away from home in Spain where Gilas will play at the FIBA World Cup starting Aug. 30 after a 36-year absence from the global stage. The estimate is about 5,000 Filipinos will storm the stands at the 7,000-seat Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo in Seville for the Group B round-robin competition involving Croatia, Greece, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Senegal and the Philippines.

Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos Salinas said some 40,000 to 50,000 Filipinos live in Spain and he plans to mobilize the residents to cheer for Gilas in Seville. If the Philippines finishes in the top four of Group B, Gilas will advance to the next round in Madrid.

Kevin Durant will not play for the U.S. team defending their title at this month's FIBA Basketball World Cup due to mental and physical exhaustion, the NBA most valuable player said on Thursday.

The high-scoring Oklahoma City Thunder forward's withdrawal follows the loss of the Indiana Pacers' Paul George, who last week suffered a compound fracture of his right leg when he landed badly during a team scrimmage.

The Philippine national men’s basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas prevailed over Elev8 squad, 93-84, on Sunday (Monday Philippine time) to win its second tuneup game during its training camp in Miami.

Elev8 was comprised of a couple of former collegiate standouts, some of whom have playing experiences in the NBA Developmental League and overseas.

Philippines Men's National Basketball Team, GILAS PILIPINAS, Miami, Florida, USA - Training Camp - Day 6 (VIDEO) .

Philippines Men's National Basketball Team, GILAS PILIPINAS, Miami, Florida, USA - Training Camp - Day 4 (VIDEO)

Philippines Men's National Basketball Team, GILAS PILIPINAS, Miami, Florida, USA - Training Camp - Day 3 (VIDEO).

Watch Philippines Men's National Basketball Team, GILAS PILIPINAS, Miami USA - Training Camp - Day 2  (VIDEO). This is their preparation for the 2014 FIBA World Cup happening on 30th of August.

Watch Kobe Paras INSANE Between-The-Legs Dunk (VIDEO)
Kobe Paras, son of former PBA superstar Benjie Paras, posted this video on his instragram account.

WATCH INSANE DUNK VIDEO BELOW:

Naturalized Filipino Andray Blatche has joined the Gilas Pilipinas training camp, which is currently being held in Miami, Florida. The NBA player posted a picture of his No. 11 Gilas practice jersey last July 26.