Serbia’s Boban Marjanovic may have prevented Gilas Pilipinas from scoring an upset win, but that doesn't mean he will act like a snob following their match in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
A video that is circulating on social media showed Marjanovic, one of the most colorful players in the NBA, having a light moment with several Gilas players and staff at a hotel where the two teams are billeted during their OQT campaigns.
“People from (the) Philippines, all love. Thank you for all the support,” the 7-foot-3 Marjanovic said in the video.
Boban!!!!! Haha gotta love this guy. Good luck @BobanMarjanovic pic.twitter.com/S5WYsS3pZ0
— Charles Tiu (@charlestiu) July 2, 2021
He followed the video with his popular heart gesture with the use of his arms, before the camera panned out showing Ange Kouame, Isaac Go, Will Navarro, Justine Baltazar, Mike Nieto, SJ Belangel and physical therapist Dexter Aseron.
Marjanovic’s gesture became popular during an interview with Inside the NBA following a 13-point performance in Game 2 of last season’s NBA Western Conference playoff series with the Los Angeles Clippers inside the Disney bubble in Florida.
Even before the video came out, Marjanovic posed for a photo with Nieto, Dwight Ramos and Geo Chiu doing the same gesture which apparently came after their match last Thursday that ended with Gilas falling short 83-76.
Gilas rallied from a 16-point deficit in the third to take the lead in the fourth, only for Marjanovic to take charge for Serbia with six straight points to survive the scare.
Marjanovic finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds for Serbia, which will face Puerto Rico in the Belgrade OQT semifinals on Saturday.
The winner advances to the final against Italy or Dominican Republic for the lone berth in this month’s Tokyo Olympics.