NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony said “puso” or heart is always important to succeed in basketball.

Anthony, who was named as one of the three Global Ambassadors for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, said it takes passion and determination to reach the highest level of the sport.

“If you don’t have the heart, you can have the skill, you can have the talent, but if you don’t have the heart to go out there and put that talent to the test, then what’s the point of having the skill or the talent?” he told the media who attended his formal introduction as FIBA representative as the Araneta Coliseum on Friday.

“I think everything starts with the heart.”

“Puso” has been the battle cry of Gilas Pilipinas in international competitions.

Anthony said he is enjoying his visit to the Philippines.

“There’s a bigger connection when it comes to the Philippine and American basketball,” said the 10-time NBA All Star.

Anthony said he relishes the opportunity of becoming a basketball ambassador for FIBA having representing the US in FIBA competitions since the early 2000s.

He conceded that having to compete in the FIBA World Cup is tough. 

“I do think that the FIBA World Cup is one of the biggest and toughest competitions out there…you really have to bring it…you’re playing for your country, with a different sense of pride,” said Anthony.

“When you’re playing for your country, there’s no such thing as individualism at all. You’re playing for something that’s much greater than yourself or one person. You’re playing not just for your team but for a whole country as well, and the people that is a part of that and supports that.”