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Marcos catches Gilas Pilipinas game vs. Dominican Republic


President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, joined thousands of Filipino fans at the Philippine Arena to catch Gilas Pilipinas' basketball game against the Dominican Republic.

Marcos arrived at 8 p.m. and was seen seated beside Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan and FIBA President Hamane Niang.

Former Dallas Mavericks and German national team forward Dirk Nowitzki was on the same row.

The Filipino crowd set a new record in FIBA World Cup attendance as it registered 38,115 attendees for the opening day of the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the Philippine Arena.

It exceeded the record previously set at 32, 616 during the 1994 edition of the World Cup.

During the game between Angola and Italy, the attendance was recorded at 21, 214.

Italy defeated Angola, 81-67, in the opening game of the World Cup matches in the Philippines.

The national team is tied at 42 with the Dominicans at the end of the first half.

After the game, the Philippines will face Angola on Sunday and Italy on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The World Cup is also played at the Mall of Asia Arena, Okinawa Arena in Japan, and the Indonesia Arena.

The Gilas Pilipinas lineup in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 is bannered by Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto.

The duo is leading a mix of veterans and young guns as the Filipinos look to surpass their previous World Cup showings.

Japeth Aguilar will lead the pack as the newly-minted team captain alongside seasoned big man June Mar Fajardo.

Scottie Thompson, who was out for a few weeks due to a hand injury, is also in the final lineup to join Clarkson in the backcourt.

Young guns AJ Edu, Rhenz Abando, and Dwight Ramos will also get their first taste of World Cup actions as professional cagers Jamie Malonzo, CJ Perez, RR Pogoy, and Kiefer Ravena round out the 12-man crew.

Clarkson and Sotto already played together during the fourth window of the Asian Qualifiers, while this will be Aguilar and Fajardo's third stint in the World Cup.

Kiefer, Perez, and Pogoy also previously played in the 2019 edition of the World Cup.—Anna Felicia Bajo and Justin Kenneth Carandang/NB, GMA Integrated News 

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