Vanguardia set for NBA Summer League

Ariel Vanguardia is set to fly to the United States to be part of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Summer League for the second consecutive time.

The 52-year-old Vanguardia made the confirmation, saying that the stage is set for his return to the Summer League to help prepare the latest batch of rookies, journeymen and free agents to make the transition to the regular season of the NBA.

Vanguardia refused to identify the team he will join in but DAILY TRIBUNE sources said he is in close contact with the Milwaukee Bucks due to his tight relationship with Darvin Ham.

Ham, in fact, served as TNT Tropang Phone Pals import in 2006, where Vanguardia was serving as assistant to head coach Joel Banal. Now, Ham has a strong voice in the organization as he serves as the lead assistant of Bucks coach Doc Rivers.

It’s going to be Vanguardia’s second tour of duty in the NBA Summer League.

Last year, he served as part of the Summer League team of the Atlanta Hawks, giving him a chance to work on the development of 19-year-old Zaccharie Risacher, the top overall pick in the NBA Draft last year.

With that, he became the first second Filipino to coach in the NBA Summer League following the footsteps of former Gilas star Jimmy Alapag, who now serves as one of the assistant coaches of the Sacramento Kings.

“I will be returning to the United States for the NBA Summer League. It will be my second year,” Vanguardia said during an episode of “Off the Court” last Thursday.

“We have a lot of plans in the works.”

Vanguardia will not be the only Filipino who will strut his stuff in the biggest preseason event of the NBA that will be held in California, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas from 10 to 20 July.

Former De La Salle University superstar Kevin Quiambao is also expected to participate in an attempt to knock on the door of the NBA.

If Quiambao pushes through, he will join an elite list of Filipinos who played in the Summer League like Ray Parks, Kiefer Ravena and 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto, who made a lot of heads turn before suffering a back injury towards the end of his stint with the Orlando Magic in 2022.