By abs-cbnNEWS.com - MANILA, Philippines - Filipino basketball fans had the time of their lives last weekend, as hoop stars from the NBA arrived in Manila to play 2 exhibition games against a selection of PBA All-Stars and the Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team.
The weekend extravaganza, dubbed the "Smart Ultimate All-Star Weekend," was put together by the MVP Sports Foundation.
But how much did it cost to bring NBA stars to Manila?
A source told Sports Illustrated that Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose were each paid more than $400,000 to play the 2 games, tax free.
This translates to around P17-million pesos for each player for 2 games played.
The author of the article, Sam Amick, expressed his concerns that due to the current NBA lockout, more and more players will probably seek opportunities to play overseas.
"The players (are) having far too much fun exploring the overseas opportunities to sit in some meaningless meeting right now," Amick writes.
"Star-studded exhibition games like the 2 taking place in the Philippines... are proving to be quite profitable," he adds.
Derek Fisher, the president of the NBA Players' Association, was among the players who participated in the exhibition games.
Amick says that if the lockout continues, the players will keep on pursuing their overseas options, especially as "playing overseas means not paying taxes."
