NBA wants a homegrown Filipino player, says insider Brian Windhorst

“The NBA, they want a Filipino player.”

ESPN host and NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes it is only a matter of time before a homegrown Filipino basketball player makes it to the world's premier basketball league.

The veteran broadcaster, who hosts the Hoop Collective podcast with fellow insider Tim MacMahon, recently returned to the Philippines as part of an Asian tour.

It marked Windhorst's first visit to the country since covering Team USA during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, an experience that gave him a deeper appreciation of the Philippines' basketball culture.

Windhorst described Filipino basketball fans' passion and knowledge of the game as being "on another level."

“I want the American fans to hear how good the questions are and how smart Filipino fans are about all the teams, because it's something that I've learned being connected with Filipinos in the last decade, especially since I came here three years ago,” Windhorst said.

Having covered the NBA for more than two decades, Windhorst has witnessed the league's evolution and the emergence of new pathways for international players.

Asian talents such as Japan's Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura, along with South Korea's Lee Hyun-jung, have helped demonstrate the growing opportunities for players from the region.

Windhorst believes the Philippines can eventually produce its own NBA talent, adding that the league itself would welcome such a breakthrough.

“Probably it's going to be a guard. Guard skills are developed. If you're going to make it to the NBA as somebody who is not the tallest, you have to have an elite skill. Elite shooting, elite ball handling, elite defense. That player will come,” he said.

Building a more competitive Gilas

Beyond the possibility of a Filipino reaching the NBA, Windhorst also shared his thoughts on what Gilas Pilipinas needs to become a consistent contender on the international stage.

Having followed the national team's progress since the 2023 World Cup, he believes that continuity, chemistry, and a long-term commitment to developing a core group of players are essential to competing against the world's best.

“When you look at the international teams that have had success, maybe not from basketball-dominant countries, Argentina, Slovenia, even Germany recently, it's the years and years and layers of playing together,” Windhorst explained.

“So you stack four, five, eight summers together. It doesn't always have to be the same coach, but it really helps to have the same core five, or six players.”

He pointed to Australia's historic bronze-medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics and Argentina's celebrated golden generation as examples of what long-term continuity can accomplish.

“Even the Australians, they got their bronze medal in Tokyo because these guys have played together for 12 years. The Argentinians had this golden generation.”

For Windhorst, establishing that same level of familiarity and consistency remains a challenge for Gilas.

“They're not really having that right now. They don't have that core. You need to have that same core that gets together and invests the time. It's easier said than done,” he added.

—JMB, GMA News