Boban Marjanović is Strong Group-bound.
Fan favorite Marjanović is headed to Strong Group Athletics for the 44th William Jones Cup, the team announced on Friday.
The 7-foot-4 NBA veteran is the first of several foreign reinforcements named to the Strong Group roster, which is aiming to capture a historic third straight Jones Cup championship.
Marjanović, who spent nine seasons in the NBA, is coming off a stint with Perspektiva Ilirija in Slovenia during the 2025-26 season.
The 37-year-old averaged 13.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 22.5 minutes across eight ABA League appearances.
The signing is part of Strong Group's effort to assemble the "best possible team" for its title defense, according to team president Jacob Lao.
"We know this will be the toughest William Jones Cup yet," Lao said.
"Every participating country is expected to bring 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."
Strong Group head coach Charles Tiu expects Marjanovic to arrive in peak condition after weeks of preparing for the tournament.
"Excited on getting Boban to agree to play for us," Tiu said. "We've been having some good talks. He's in shape and serious about this tournament. He's been 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."
Six key members of the championship core are also returning to bid for a historic third straight title.
Dave Ildefonso, DJ Fenner, Angelo Kouame, Tajuan Agee, Allen Liwag, and Titing Manalili are all back after helping Strong Group capture the 2024 and 2025 crowns.
"Just excited to have some of our core guys still there to help us go for our three-peat," Tiu said in a statement.
"It really helps having that familiarity, especially with a lot of new guys coming in and such a short preparation time. I love coaching this group of guys."
No team has won three consecutive Jones Cup titles since Iran accomplished the feat from 2009 to 2011.
Marjanovic became one of the NBA's most beloved personalities during his career, suiting up for the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, LA Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
Filipino fans are no strangers to Marjanović, who had previously been an integral part of the Serbian national team.
He suited up for Serbia against Gilas Pilipinas in the 2021 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where the Filipinos came close to pulling off a stunning upset. Gilas also played against Marjanović in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
Strong Group has been drawn in Group A, where it will face Chinese Taipei-Blue, Korea and Japan in the preliminary round.
The tournament will be held from Aug. 13 to 23 at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.
