Marjanović headlines Strong Group's quest for historic Jones Cup three-peat

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Strong Group-Pilipinas has landed a giant reinforcement for its pursuit of history.

Former NBA center Boban Marjanović will suit up for the Philippine club in the 44th William Jones Cup, giving the defending champions a towering presence as they chase an unprecedented third straight title in the tournament scheduled from Aug. 8 to 23 at the New Taipei City Xinzhuang Gymnasium.

The 7-foot-4 Serbian becomes the first player officially unveiled by Strong Group as it begins building a roster capable of extending its reign in what is expected to be the tournament's most competitive field in years.

For team president Jacob Lao, bringing in a player of Marjanović's caliber reflects the club's determination to stay on top.

"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 arrives with an impressive résumé that includes nine NBA seasons from 2015 to 2024, during which he played for the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets.

Long before reaching the NBA, he had already established himself as one of Europe's premier big men, collecting three Serbian League MVP awards and becoming a mainstay for Serbia in international basketball.

Head coach Charles Tiu revealed that discussions with Marjanović had been ongoing for some time and said the veteran center is fully committed to the campaign.

"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 members of its roster in the coming weeks as it prepares for another title defense.

The Philippine club was drawn into Group A alongside Chinese Taipei Blue, Korea, and Japan in the preliminary round.

Standing in the way is history. A third consecutive William Jones Cup championship would make Strong Group the first team to accomplish the feat since Iran won three straight titles from 2009 to 2011.