AsiaBasket
The AsiaBasket, also known as the FilBasket in the Philippines, is an Asian professional basketball league founded in 2021.
Upcoming season or competition: 2023 AsiaBasket International Championship | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 |
| Founder | Jai Reyes Buddy Encarnado |
| Inaugural season | Subic Championship (2021) |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | Philippines Indonesia Malaysia Brunei (all-time) |
| Continent | FIBA Asia |
| Most recent champion(s) | KL Aseel (2023 International) |
| Most titles | AICC Manila Harimau Malaysia Nueva Ecija Capitals (1 title each) |
| TV partner(s) | AsiaBasket (Facebook, YouTube) Solar Sports PTV |
| Official website | asiabasket |
It was founded as the Filipino Basketball League (FilBasket), a domestic basketball tournament in the Philippines. Its first tournament was the Subic Championship held in 2021. It was followed by the Summer Championship the following year. In the same year, the FilBasketexpanded overseas, holding the International Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where teams from other Southeast Asia also taking part.
In 2023, the league renamed itself as AsiaBasket with a second international tournament planned for April in Malaysia. The league retained its FilBasket branding for future tournaments planned to be held in the Philippines.
History
Domestic tournament era
The Filipino Basketball League (FilBasket) was established by former UAAP college player Jai Reyes and Buddy Encarnado of the Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors in 2021.[1][2] It was founded as a means to provide a platform for basketball players whose careers were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic community quarantine measures. This includes players of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) which saw its 2019–20 season delayed due to COVID-19 measures. Hence many teams from the MPBL have joined the FilBasket, while not leaving the former, in a bid to play more competitive games.[2]
The Games and Amusements Board (GAB) of the Philippine government contends that FilBasket is a professional league and not an amateur league as the league organizers believe, hence the league falls under its jurisdiction.[3] The FilBasket organizers admitted that the long-term plan is for the league to become a professional league although it maintains that it will be an amateur league initially.[4] The dispute was reportedly resolved in October 2021, with FilBasket pushing through with its first tournament, the FilBasket Subic Championship.[3] Filbasket secured approval from SBMA and the IATF for a bubble tournament at the Subic Bay Gymnasium, in accordance to regulations for amateur leagues.[5]
The Filbasket Subic Championship concluded with AICC Manila being the winners. However the GAB issued a cease and desist order insisting that Filbasket is a professional league[6] and declared the tournament held last year as unlawful although it did not impose any further sanctions.[7]
FilBasket started the process of turning into a professional league recognized by the GAB on February 22, 2022.[8] By March 1, 2022, the league was already granted professional status by the GAB.[9] The league would hold its first professional tournament, the Filbasket Summer Championship, in early 2022.[10]
Asian expansion
FilBasket would also hold its first international tournament, the FilBasket International Championship in the latter part of 2022 in Malaysia.[11]
On March 3, 2023, FilBasket announced their rebranding, they will be known as AsiaBasket. The rebranding was made to accommodate expansion to Asian basketball market. They will retain the FilBasket name for local competitions in the Philippines.[12][13]
Teams
Current teams
Teams competed at the AsiaBasket International Championship (2023):[14]
| Name | Locality | First played | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| KL Aseel | Kuala Lumpur | 2022 |  Malaysia |
| Harimau Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | 2022 | |
| MBC Kirin | Malacca City | 2022 | |
| BGC Builders | Taguig City | 2022 |  Philippines |
| CSB Blazers | Malate, Manila | 2023 | |
| MFT Fruit Masters | Quezon City | 2023 | |
| San Beda Red Lions | Mendiola, Manila | 2023 | |
| Sanzar Pharmaceuticals | Las Pinas | 2023 | |
| Shawarma Shack Pilipinas | Quezon City | 2022 | |
| The Th3rd Floor – KalosPH | Quezon City | 2023 |
Previous teams
The following teams played in the 2022 FilBasket International Championship.
| Name | Locality | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Pegasus Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan |  Brunei |
| Bumi Borneo | Pontianak, West Kalimantan |  Indonesia |
| Elang Pacific Caesar | Surabaya | |
| Pilipinas Aguilas | Philippines | |
| Singapore Adroit | Woodlands |  Singapore |
FilBasket
Teams which took part in previous FilBasket tournaments held in the Philippines:
Venues
| Year | Tournament | Arena | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Filbasket Subic Championship | Subic Bay Gymnasium | Olongapo, Zambales |
| 2022 | Filbasket Summer Championship | San Jose Del Monte City Sports Complex Muntinlupa Sports Center SGS Stadium |
San Jose del Monte, Bulacan Muntinlupa Quezon City |
| Filbasket International Championship | MABA Stadium | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
| 2023 | AsiaBasket International Championship | MABA Stadium | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Champions
| Teams | Win | Loss | Total | Edition(s) won | Edition(s) lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AICC Manila | 1 | 0 | 1 | Subic (2021) | — |
| Nueva Ecija Capitals | 1 | 0 | 1 | Summer (2022) | — |
| Harimau Malaysia | 1 | 0 | 1 | International (2022) | — |
| San Juan Knights | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | Subic (2021), Summer (2022) |
| KL Aseel | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | International (2022) |
See also
References
- Joble, Rey (October 29, 2021). "Why FilBasket insists it is an amateur league". Manila Times. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- Joble, Rey (August 11, 2021). "Sta. Lucia joins FilBasket League". The Manila Times. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- Mendoza, Martin (October 25, 2021). "Filbasket clears up GAB issue, to push through with inaugural tournament". Rappler. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- Rosale, Dale (October 27, 2021). "FilBasket kicks off Thursday". Cebu Daily News. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- Reyes, Kate (July 22, 2021). "Jai Reyes to formally open FilBasket this August". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- Navarro, June (November 23, 2021). "GAB issues cease and desist order vs Filbasket". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- Ramos, Gerry (January 14, 2022). "GAB fires warning after Filbasket's maiden tournament ruled 'unlawful'". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- Li, Matthew (February 22, 2022). "Filbasket, Super League begin process of turning pro". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- "Pro status, new teams boost Filbasket ahead of second season". ABS-CBN News. March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- Li, Matthew (May 8, 2022). "Filbasket: Palma lifts Nueva Ecija to Summer Championship". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
- Terrado, Reuben (October 23, 2022). "Three Pinoy teams to play in FilBasket Int'l Championship in KL". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
- "Untitled". Instagram. AsiaBasket. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
AsiaBasket on Instagram: "🚨 #AsiaBasket The Filipino Basketball League (Filbasket) has announced a major rebrand, marking a new chapter in the league's history... ...Effective immediately, the league will now be known as AsiaBasket.
- Morales, Luisa (March 10, 2023). "Filbasket expands, rebrands into AsiaBasket". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- "NCAA teams compete with 8 others in Malaysia-hosted AsiaBasket tourney". ABS-CBN News. April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.