CLEVELAND - Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James has publicly confirmed through ESPN that he is joining the Philippine men's national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, in the upcoming off-season. The two-time NBA Champion also stated that he will be touring with the team next year to promote Nike in the Southeast Asian territories.

The 31st FIBA ranked Gilas Pilipinas was able to catch the attention of the Cleveland Cavaliers forward and NBA Superstar LeBron James in their attempt to compete against world-class talent in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.


The Philippine national team was able to secure a win in the tournament, their first in 40 years. A new roster is in the works under head coach Chot Reyes who was able to convince LeBron James to go through naturalization in the Philippines. The Akron hero accepted the offer informally through Twitter, but went on to ESPN to announce his decision to join the team.


LeBron James is a two-time NBA champion, four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, two-time Olympic gold medalist, one-time NBA scoring champion and the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year.