’Twas an amazing hoops year
As 2023 comes to a close, let’s recall the brightest moments in Philippine basketball that made the year one of the most memorable ever. Here are five of the top 10 hoop highlights to remember:
• Staging the FIBA World Cup. In what had to be the coup of the millennium, the Philippines led a three-nation consortium to win the hosting rights for the quadrennial event last Aug. 25-Sept. 10. It wasn’t likely that FIBA would award the bid to Asia back-to-back after China hosted in 2019 but the Philippines submitted a compelling bid with Japan and Indonesia to make it happen. SBP chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan was at the forefront of the effort that brought even more prestige to the country by paving the way for Caloy Loyzaga’s induction into the FIBA Hall of Fame, setting a new attendance record of 38,115 for a World Cup game at the Philippine Arena and clinching a ticket for Gilas to play in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia next year. The Philippines hosted 16 national teams in the group stage and staged the entire playoffs, including the final.
• PBA ends 47th season on high note. Asia’s first play-for-pay basketball league registered a record net income of over P200 million last campaign which ended with the Governors Cup last April. San Miguel Beer topped the Philippine Cup, Barangay Ginebra the Commissioner’s Cup and TNT the Governors’ Cup as three different teams ruled the three conferences. In Game 7 of the Commissioner’s Cup finals, Ginebra and guest squad EASL squad Bay Area faced off before a crowd of 54,589 to mark a new attendance standard.
• Gilas hits paydirt in Asian Games. It was an incredible storybook journey as Gilas defied all odds in bagging the gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last Sept. 23-Oct. 8. Coach Tim Cone went through a harrowing process of forming a lineup with only a handful of practices and a single tune-up game before leaving for Hangzhou. But Gilas persevered, coped with logistical snafus, absorbed a 25-point loss to Jordan in the group stage, scored two one-point knockout wins then stunned Jordan in the final for the country’s first men’s basketball gold in the Asian Games since 1962.
• Vengeance at the SEA
