Can Gary Payton make a key steal and dish his trademark no-look pass? Can Glenn Rice and Mitch Richmond knock down booming three-pointers?
And can Chris Webber throw down a thundering dunk?
All these questions will be answered when the four former NBA superstars showcase their skills that made them household names in basketball as they play in the 2010 NBA Asia Challenge on Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Payton, 42, a nine-time NBA All-Star who won a title with the Miami Heat in 2006, during a press conference on Tuesday held at the Dusit Hotel in Makati. “I’m actually might go to the stands and bring some kids to the floor and have some fun.”
The NBA Asia Challenge is set at 8 p.m. at the Big Dome with a different format compared to last year when the NBA legends, mentored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and with Robert Horry, Dominique Wilkins, Tim Hardaway and Vlade Divac, edged the team of former and current PBA superstars (106-89).
This year, the NBA players, together with some participants from the NBA Developmental League, will be mixed with the PBA players.
Teaming up with Payton in the Red Team are Rice, a three-time All-Star who won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2000, D-Leaguers Darnel Lazare and Chris McCray, as well as PBA legends Vergel Meneses, Allan Caidic, and superstars Asi Taulava, LA Tenorio, and Arwind Santos.
For the White Team, Webber and Richmond will be joined by D-League’s Mark Tyndale and Richie Frahm, a former PBA import, ex-PBA players Alvin Patrimonio, Benjie Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc, as well as superstars Ronald Tubid, Rico Maierhofer, Dondon Hontiveros.
Tim Cone of PBA Fiesta Cup champion Alaska will call the shots for the Red Team, while the White Team will have SMB mentor Siot Tanquingcen.
Rice, who won the Three-Point Shootout contest during the 1995 NBA All-Star, said that he can’t wait to team up with Caidic.
“It has been brought to my attention. He’s not called the “Triggerman” for no reason. So we expect a lot of fireworks,” Rice said. “We’ll try to still entertain.”
For the 6-foot-10 Webber, now an analyst for NBA TV after retiring in 2008, he is known for his thunderous dunks and sweet jump shots and on Friday’s game, he said that he hopes to make the same plays and have some fun.
Payton, Webber, Richmond and Rice will have a busy schedule today, which begins with the NBA Cares basketball clinic at the Araneta Coliseum in the morning.
In the afternoon, they will have the NBA Read to Achieve Activity at the Ali Mall Activity Center and the NBA Fan Day and Media Availability, and in the evening, they will proceed at the Metro Walk in Ortigas for the Coors Light NBA Pop-A-Shot Tour.
This Thursday, the four NBA legends will have the NBA Asia Challenge Mall Tour at the SM Mall of Asia. On Saturday, they will lead the Habitat for Humanity Build activity in Caloocan City.
Game Friday (Araneta Coliseum)
8 p.m. — NBA Asia Challenge Red Team vs White Team
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