'Basketball minister' aiming for diplomacy through sports

New Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah is no stranger to the country’s basketball community, being dubbed the 'basketball minister' when he was tipped to make his return to the cabinet.
Saifuddin grabbed headlines again just over a week ago, when he wowed the public with a reverse layup at the 4th Asian University 3X3 Basketball Championship in Kuala Lumpur, playing beside Philippines Foreign Secretary Alan Cayetano.
"I was doing some shooting and layup with the foreign secretary of the Philippines, but that was more for fun. But it is not unusual to use sports (for diplomacy).
"Sports has its own role in forging unity, in nurturing certain positive traits in the people. Likewise, I think, sports has a role in diplomacy.
“We must remember that diplomacy is not just about government to government, it is also about people to people," he said in an interview with Malaysiakini.
An avid basketball fan, Saifuddin threw his support behind the sport in the previous administration as the deputy higher education minister.
He even took part in the 'YB Can Jump' 3-on-3 event in 2011 in a match against Malaysiakini.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls fan has long loved the sport, being among the very few who took it up when studying in Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK).