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Nick Young on PH stint: 'I have to win some championships'

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Levi Joshua Verora Jr.

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Former NBA champion Nick young. Photo by Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/01/18/nick-young.jpg"/><figcaption>Former NBA champion Nick young. Photo by Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports</figcaption></figure></div> MANILA, Philippines -- In the latest stop of his professional basketball career, former NBA champion Nick Young hopes to add more pieces of silverware to his collection.One of three imports for Strong Group Realty, which will banner the Philippines in the upcoming Dubai International Basketball Tournament, Young is determined to win it all, not only for himself but also for the Filipino community.&quot;I have to win some championships wherever I go,&quot; Young said. &quot;(I) never got the chance to experience Filipino basketball or overseas. I still got some left in the tank so you know what, let me go play the game I love, see how it goes.&quot;Young last played competitive basketball in 2018 for the Denver Nuggets, which waived him after seeing action in only four games.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/16/23/tiu-strong-group-eager-to-win-dubai-tilt-in-front-of-pinoy-fans">Tiu, Strong Group eager to win Dubai tilt in front of Pinoy fans</a></li></ul>He then spent time in Ice Cube&#x27;s Big3 league which normally featured retired NBAers, and even participated in a novelty boxing exhibition match against Malcolm Minikon.Dwight Howard&#x27;s Taiwanese T1 League signing with the Taoyuan Leopards inspired Young to return to action, mainly because the retirement bored him.Back in December 2022, the 6-foot-7 guard expressed his desire to play in the PBA through a tweet which quickly gained traction. He initially reached out to Howard publicly, before experienced PBA import KJ McDaniels suggested for Young to try the PBA.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">pba are y’all ready for swaggy Philippines lets make it happen— Nick Young (@NickSwagyPYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickSwagyPYoung/status/1599853767402213376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2022</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>&quot;For me, once I’ve seen Dwight Howard get out there and play overseas, I (wanted) to play basketball (again),&quot; Young shared. &quot;Jordan Clarkson is a good friend of mine, so I asked him how it was to play in the Philippines and he said, ‘I love it’.&quot;It was from there where Young posted his now viral tweet, eventually leading him to get in touch with Strong Group head coach Charles Tiu.&quot;I put it on Twitter, hopefully somebody would see, I didn’t think it’d get that big of a buzz, but next thing you know, Coach Charles (messaged) me on Instagram and that’s what happened,&quot; Young said.Playing overseas was something Young wanted to tick off his bucket list, and the basketball world paved a way for him to land in the Philippines, with the help of some imports who are already acquainted with the hoops landscape here.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/15/23/strong-groups-lastimosa-looks-forward-to-uaap-co-stars">Strong Group&#x27;s Lastimosa looks forward to team up with UAAP co-stars</a></li></ul>&quot;We got to talk and (I got to an) 11-hour flight to the Philippines. At first, he didn’t want to believe I wanted to play. I had to tell him I (wanted to get) here and give it one more shot. I miss the game of basketball,&quot; he added.&quot;Once I put that on Twitter, KJ McDaniels hit me and said that his coach wanted to know if I was serious. Quincy Miller, Mikey Williams, so I got a lot of texts and phone calls. I didn’t think it would catch fire like that, but it did. I’m glad something on my mind said &#x27;Philippines&#x27;, and it worked out.&quot;And so far, the experience in and out of the court has been nothing short of amazing for Young, who is best remembered by Filipino fans for his stints with the Golden State Warriors where he won a ring, and the Los Angeles Lakers where he played alongside Clarkson and late NBA great Kobe Bryant.&quot;I’m happy to be here, they’ve embraced me, I’ve been taking a lot of pictures since my arrival, to now, it’s been fun,&quot; Young noted.&quot;You feel the love. They tell me we miss you on the Lakers, how was it playing with Kobe, the Lakers need you, we hear all that and it’s a good feeling to feel you are appreciated.&quot;As for his team Strong Group, Young is joined by some of the best collegiate standouts in the country today like Angelo Kouame, Jerom Lastimosa, Justine Baltazar, and Will Gozum, as well as fellow imports Renaldo Balkman and Shabazz Muhammad.He is impressed by what he has seen so far in their preparations, and he believes the squad has a solid chance of defending its Dubai International Basketball Championship title later this month.&quot;You hear a lot of things about overseas (basketball), about players who can’t play, I think that was false. For me, getting a first taste, the team here plays with love. They do everything -- they make shots, dribble and shoot the ball, pass,&quot; he said. &quot;I think we got a good chance of going back-to-back.Young understands his role and the gravity of representing the country in such capacity, and he is ready to win it all -- &quot;para sa bayan.&quot;&quot;It’s been great. We embraced the roles quite easily. They talked to me a lot about the representation of the Philippines. For me, I’m just embracing the love they gave to me, I want to go out there and work hard for Manila, Philippines.&quot;

In the latest stop of his professional basketball career, former NBA champion Nick Young hopes to add more pieces of silverware to his collection.