It's an unlikely reunion.
There's Andre Roberson, who played seven seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. There's Dwight Howard, who became an NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers before playing overseas. And then there's Andray Blatche, who played for the Brooklyn Nets before helping the Philippine men's national basketball team win their first FIBA World Cup game in 40 years.
They're all together now in the Philippines as part of Strong Group Athletics, which will compete in the upcoming Dubai International Basketball Championship.
Howard has embraced the love from Filipino fans, after he was convinced by Blatche to return to the Philippines.
Now, Roberson gets why.
"Very kind, very friendly," he shared to the local media after practice. "Enjoying the food, it's been great."
During Roberson's years with the Thunder, Oklahoma City went deep in the playoffs going as far as the Western Conference semifinals with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Now, a young Thunder core sits second in the West with a 26-11 record. Does this roster remind Roberson of his old team?
"One hundred percent," he replied, "I couldn't help but stay impressed."
"It's a great young core, Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), Chet (Holmgren), Josh (Giddey), the whole team. It's gonna be a force to be reckoned with."
Asked whether he sees this Thunder roster as a title contender, Roberson once again answered "100%."
"You've seen 'em last year, gave everybody a run for their money," he pointed out. "They lost a lot of games, but those were within reach. They're a young team, getting better each day."
He doesn't see anything else missing from this roster for a prime title run. All they need is experience.
"It's time at this point, getting chemistry down. Gaining experience, going to the playoffs, making deep runs, it all matters," Roberson shared. "Once they get all that, it's gonna be great."
SGA has been a leader for the squad, ranking third in scoring with 31.4 points, while being the top player for steals with 2.3 swipes per game. He has also proven his hustle by having the most deflections per game, at the same time being cool under pressure with 3.8 contested threes on the average.
"He's up there man," Roberson said of Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP chances.
The 32-year-old Roberson was known for his hustle and energy, having been named to the 2017 NBA All-Defensive Second Team. But he struggled a lot with injuries, experiencing a knee sprain, tendon rupture, and a knee fracture.
Roberson shared how he got through it.
"A traumatic experience makes you second-guess a bit more. I had to trust in my leg, trust in my abilities," he reflected. "It took a while outside of my health. Take it a day at a time."
There was a window of opportunity for Roberson to move on and invest in the next step of his career, but he had to be ready to give up basketball.
Now he has another chance to play ball, and a prime shot to take a title for his own.
"It wasn't ready, it wasn't done. So here I am," he said.
(With reports from Gillian Franceska, One Sports)
