NATIONAL basketball players stand to win an RM330,000 condominium unit each if they clinch gold at the Thailand SEA Games in December.
Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) president Datuk Seri Lee Tian Hock said the incentive is intended to motivate and also show appreciation to the players if they can win Malaysia's first Sea Games gold in the sport since 2017.
"If our men's and women's teams can bring home gold, each player will receive one unit of the condominium in Cheras," Lee said during the MABA annual dinner in Kuala Lumpur recently.
He said this is the highest honour MABA could give the players who have sacrificed a lot for the country.
It is understood that the condominium unit is 700 square feet in size with two rooms and is equipped with modern facilities.
Lee said he was expecting the competition to be tougher at the Sea Games this year as several countries such as the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia are expected to field naturalised players, mostly from the United States.
"MABA is currently in the process of obtaining approval (from authorities) to naturalise two male and one female player for our three-on-three and five-on-five teams," he said, adding that without naturalised players it would be tough for Malaysia to compete as basketball requires players with height and physical strength.
He said the players are Tychique Bosango (Republic of Congo), Joseph Obasa (Nigeria) as well as Aalia Carlson of mixed Malaysian-American parentage. - January 22, 2025
