Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio has been elected second Vice President in the FIBA Asia board member for 2023-2027 during the recent Zone Assembly of FIBA in Asia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Al Panlilio

Dr. K. Govindraj was elected President, succeeding outgoing FIBA Asia President Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani, who has served Asian basketball for more than 30 years.

Yao Ming was elected chairman, while Akram Halabi as 1st Vice President.

Panlilio said, “It is an honor to be elected in the board of members of FIBA Asia to help the federation continue promoting the game of basketball and camaraderie in the region and the world.”

He added that being part of the FIBA Asia board member comes with a huge responsibility to push for development of new projects, not only in the country but in Asia, that would elevate the level of basketball competitions in the region.

Over the years, FIBA has been adopting a holistic approach in developing and organizing 5x5, 3x3, women’s and youth basketball tournaments.

“I believe SBP also needs to strengthen its basketball development programs especially for the youth in anticipation and preparation for forthcoming competitions in the the region in the next 2-3 years,” Panlilio added.

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis, during the assembly meeting, also highlighted the crucial role the Philippines will be playing in hosting the FIBA World Cup in August this year.

“We play this year our biggest event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 3 Asian countries. The Philippines, Japan and Indonesia and this will be the first time in three countries combining together almost 500 million people. It will be an unprecedented event in terms of quality for the players and the fans,” Zagklis said.

Panlilio said preparation for the prestigious global basketball event is in full swing and SBP is calling for all basketball stakeholders in the country to be united to ensure the successful hosting of the event.

The new elected FIBA Asia board members will be joining the FIBA Executive Director - Asia, Mr. Hagop Khajirian and the 6 Sub-Zone representatives, Ms. Yuko Mitsuya (EABA), Mr. Kho Poo Thai (SEABA), Mr. Tarif Koutrach (WABA), Mr. Abay Alpamyssov (CABA), Mr. Abhijit Sarker (SABA) and Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi (Gulf), to the board.