Countdown to Tip OfF | Unveiling the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila

With the NBA season coming to an end this past month, basketball fans all over the world sit at home in boredom waiting for the 2023-24 season to pick up again at the end of October this year. But lucky for us and Filipinos all over the world, The International Basketball Federation, also known as FIBA (from its French acronym Fédération Internationale de Basketball), is holding its World Cup tournament which occurs every 4 years, making the 2023 tournament its 19th World Cup in tournament history. I say lucky for Filipinos not only because we are some of the biggest basketball fans ever but because we have a lot invested going into this year's World Cup. 

First and foremost, it is the second time that the Philippines will be hosting the prestigious FIBA world cup since the 1978 tournament. Over the span of the two week competition (August 25 - September 10th), games will be held at 3 different arenas spread across the Philippines in Bocaue, Pasay, and Quezon City, in addition to a few qualifying matches being held in partnering co hosting countries, Indonesia and Japan. Although qualifying games will also be held at Philippine Arena (Bocaue, Bulacan), Araneta Coliseum (Quezon City), and Mall of Asia Arena (Pasay), the final portion of the tournament that includes the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final, will take place exclusively at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Secondly, the FIBA world cup also acts as a qualifier for the 2024 Summer Olympics, where the top two teams from each of the Americas and Europe, and the top team from each of Africa, Asia and Oceania, will qualify alongside the tournament's host France. How awesome would it be to see the Philippine national team make a comeback appearance to the olympic games in over 4 decades. Not to mention, the idea that the Philippine team finishing last place in the 2019 FIBA World Cup doesn’t sit right with me, we are definitely better than that and it’s time to redeem our status as an elite basketball country. For anyone wondering who else is in the Asia and Oceania bracket, it will be a tough climb to the top as we will be competing against Australia, China, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, and New Zealand. 

Lastly, this might be the most stacked Filipino team we have seen in quite some time. Although the finalized team has yet to be determined, the 21 player pool is proving to be filled with an abundance of talent, with 3 very big names fighting for the one naturalized roster spot, Jordan Clarkson, Justin Brownlee, and Ange Kouame. Jordan Clarkson, star of the Utah Jazz has shown his worth in the NBA by being a key player to the Utah Jazz Franchise, averaging 20.8 pts (34th best in NBA), 4.0 Rebounds, and 4.4 Assists. Justin Brownlee has also showcased his talents to coaches, especially during the FIBA Qualifier game against Jordan where he posted a monster stat line of 41 points and 12 rebounds. A few other notable names are Kai Sotto who has played in the NBA G-League and Aj Edu who is a current college player for Toledo. 

Will this be enough firepower to return the Philippines to the Olympics? Truthfully, I’m a little biased because Jordan Clarkson was once and ex-Laker and I’m a Laker fan, but the idea of our national team being led by one of the best in the NBA (34th best to be exact) gives me a lot of hope that the Philippine men’s basketball will shock the world and return to it’s status of basketball glory. Regardless if you are a fan of basketball or not, we should all take joy in the fact that the whole world will be looking at Manila during the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup, so let’s all root for the home team to bring home FIBA gold, showing the world what the Philippines is made of. 

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Written By Niko Del Rey

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