Andray Blatche, who most recently played for the Nets, remains an NBA free agent.
Internationally, Blatche has been scooped up by the Philippines.
How did Blatche – who was born in New York and has no known Filipino heritage – come to represent the Philippines in the World Cup?
Rafe Bartholomew of Grantland has an in-depth look at the Blatche-Philippines relationship, including a particularly funny anecdote.
Earlier this summer, Blatche tweeted:
Bartholomew:
It was a well-intentioned gesture — if only he had used the hashtag #LabanPilipinasPuso!, which means “Fight Philippines Heart!” instead of one that roughly translated as “Laundry Philippines Heart!”
Andray being Andray.