The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 formally opens today, Aug. 25, at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
This will be the second time that this basketball-crazy nation is hosting the world cup, the first was in 1978 when it was still called the FIBA World Championship. This time around, it will be co-hosting the event with Japan and Indonesia.
Thirty-two countries, including the Philippines, have qualified and will be playing in what is considered the grandest stage of basketball. The 31 other countries are: co-host Japan, Angola, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Cote d’Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, USA, and Venezuela.
Stakes are high in this edition of the basketball world cup. Aside from the world title, the event serves as an Olympics qualifier — offering seven slots to the Paris Olympics next year. To determine this, the best performing teams from their respective continents will qualify for the seven slots — two each for the Americas and Europe, and one each from Africa, Asia, and Oceania. This will be determined based on the final official classification of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
For Gilas Pilipinas, the country’s national team, this will be a great opportunity for them to showcase what the Filipino brand of basketball is all about before cage aficionados around the world who will be watching on television and through livestream feeds. More importantly, this is one rare opportunity for Gilas Pilipinas players, who will be playing before a cheering home crowd, to show to the whole world the character of a true Filipino — hospitable, friendly, polite, resilient, hardworking, flexible, and so forth.
While Filipino cagers may have the skills to compete, they are naturally not gifted with the height and heft that opposing players possess. But in this edition of the basketball world cup, they have one clear advantage — the home crowd which will serve as their sixth man every time they play. The Filipino crowd will be there passionately cheering for Gilas Pilipinas, win or lose. Despite this plus factor, Gilas Pilipinas may be hard-pressed to surpass or even equal the Philippines’ best-place finish in the world cup — bronze medal in the 1954 FIBA World Championship in Brazil. The team was spearheaded by the legendary Carlos Loyzaga and Lauro Mumar.
Notwithstanding the odds, we expect Gilas Pilipinas to play all-out, motivated by the home crowd and the chance at improving the country’s best finish in the world cup and gaining a slot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
While the stakes are high in this tournament, we express hope that the 32 teams — from the players to the team staff — game officials, and the top honchos of FIBA would ensure that fair play prevails in every game. For what value does a victory have if it was attained under dubious circumstances.
That said, let the games begin.
Welcome to the Philippines, where basketball is embraced like a religion and thrives as a national passion and obsession.