Members of Philippines' 1978 FIBA World Championship team attend FIBA World Cup opener

Members of the team that represented the Philippines at the 1978 FIBA World Championship, the last time the country hosted the global competition, were in attendance on opening day of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup held at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Among those in the venue from the historic squad were Steve Watson and assistant coach Nemie Villegas, who watched the Group A game between Italy and Angola on Friday.

Group A is also the group of the Philippine national men's basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, which is set to take on Dominican Republic in their FIBA World Cup campaign's opener at 8 p.m.

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Gilas will also take on Angola on August 27 and Italy on August 29.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News