ALLAN THE MAN

Allen Iverson is calling it quits. The Answer has not seen action in the NBA since 2010, and has not played professionally anywhere since 2011. 

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One of the greatest individual athletes and considered perhaps the best pound for pound, the six-foot guard revolutionized the way the position was played. Night after night, he attacked defenses almost like Jonah wanting to get swallowed by the whale and emerging a winner. He took a pounding that often caused audiences to shudder, then picked himself up, dusted himself off, and did it all over again.

FIBA 3x3 sports director Kosta Iliev of Bulgaria was so impressed by the showing of the undermanned Philippine team at the recent 2nd Asian Youth Games in Nanjing that he invited the teenaged boys to compete at the FIBA U-18 World Championships in Jakarta on Sept. 26-29.

But Iliev was told by team coach Nic Jorge that the Philippines had actually qualified for the World Championships by topping the FIBA-Asia joust in Bangkok last June. Representing the country in the Jakarta competition are Ateneo’s Thirdy Ravena, San Beda’s Arvin Tolentino and La Salle’s Kobe Paras and Prince Rivero with John Flores as coach.

Barangay Ginebra Kings’ big man Japeth Aguilar was sitting inside the locker room with street clothes on and stared blankly on the floor.

Moments earlier, he watched helplessly from the bench as his teammates collapsed in the endgame and lost a heartbreaker, 99-102, to the Alaska Aces, who kept their mastery of the Kings dating back to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals that ended in a 3-0 sweep.

Serena Williams avenged her loss to Sloane Stephens earlier this year by thrashing her fellow American in straight sets on Sunday (Monday in Manila) to reach the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open.

The world number one showed no mercy against Stephens, crushing the rising star 6-4 6-1 to remain on course to defend the U.S. Open title she won last year and restore the sport's world order.

Jeron Teng sank the game-winning basket that helped De La Salle University make it two in a row against archrival Ateneo de Manila University with a 66-64 win in the 76th UAAP men's basketball tournament.  

After Kiefer Ravena tied it up at 64-all with 10.5 seconds left, Jeron Teng attacked the basket and made a shot with 1.9 seconds remaining to push the Green Archers to victory. 

Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes said they would invite collegiate stars Terrence Romeo, Kiefer Ravena, Bobby Ray Parks, Raymond Almazan, Kevin Ferrer, Chris Newsome and Arnold Van Opstal to join the Gilas Pilipinas cadet team.

“They will surely be invited. Gusto kaya nila o papayagan ba sila,” said Reyes on his Twitter account.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel superstar Mark Caguioa was in a foul mood on Sunday night moments after his Gin Kings’ 102-99 loss to the Alaska Aces at the Mall of Asia Arena.