Strong Group-Pilipinas signs Marjanović for Jones Cup title defense

Strong Group-Pilipinas has tapped former NBA center Boban Marjanović as its first reinforcement for the 44th William Jones Cup, with the Serbian veteran set to spearhead the team's bid for a third consecutive championship in the annual tournament from Aug. 8 to 23 at the New Taipei City Xinzhuang Gymnasium.

The 7-foot-4 Marjanović is the first player officially announced by Strong Group as the Philippine club begins assembling its roster for what is expected to be one of the tournament's toughest editions.

Team president Jacob Lao said the organization is committed to building the strongest possible lineup to defend its title.

"We're building the best team possible because we know this will be the toughest William Jones Cup yet," Lao said. "Every participating country is expected to bring in quality lineups, so we want to make sure we're prepared for that challenge. Bringing in a player like Boban gives us a tremendous presence on both ends of the floor, and we're excited to have him represent Strong Group-Pilipinas."

Marjanović brings extensive experience after spending nine seasons in the NBA from 2015 to 2024.

During his NBA career, he played for the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets.

Before reaching the NBA, Marjanović established himself as one of Europe's top centers, winning three Serbian League MVP awards while becoming a fixture on Serbia's national team in international competition.

Head coach Charles Tiu said talks with Marjanović had been ongoing and revealed that the veteran big man has already begun preparing for the tournament.

"Excited on getting Boban to agree to play for us. We've been having some good talks, he's in shape and serious about this tournament, he's preparing back home even before he flies out here. We've already talked a bit about basketball and our plans. Great and funny guy too," Tiu said.

Strong Group is expected to announce more additions in the coming weeks as it finalizes its roster.

The team was drawn into Group A, where it will face Chinese Taipei Blue, Korea, and Japan in the preliminary round while seeking to become the first squad to win three straight William Jones Cup titles since Iran accomplished the feat from 2009 to 2011.