ALLAN THE MAN

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.