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| (Image Source: TeamPilipinas.info/Facebook/FilBasket) |
A new basketball league is about to be formally introduced and launched in the Philippines with its purpose of contributing to the improvement of the sport by providing opportunities for Filipino basketball players who were laid off and greatly affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. And its name is the Filipino Basketball Association or simply known as FilBasket founded and formed by former PBA and Ateneo Blue Eagles player Jai Reyes.
In an interview with Mikee Reyes on YouTube, Jai discussed that he created FilBasket to give opportunities to everybody to make a living or career out of the league and thought that it will be a good business opportunity, which will allow him to have a restart and give people more job opportunities in the middle of the pandemic. “So this is basically a startup, gusto ko lang talaga buuin for everybody para satin lahat dahil it’s not just the players, the coaches that will be given the opportunity and platform to make a living or a career out of Filbasket,” Reyes said in the podcast. “Gusto ko talagang mag re-start para makapagbigay ng trabaho sa lahat ng tao so this is for everybody. Sa tagal ko sa industriya ng basketball nadala niya ako sa other countries, it gave me so many opportunities. This is also one way of giving back and I think business-wise is also a good opportunity,” he added.
Reyes also wants the whole Filipino basketball community to be more inclusive, allowing players from different levels to compete in FilBasket competitions, and hopes for some of its teams to take part in international competitions once established. “I think for us it’s a positive that somebody from Filbasket and talents from all over the world get to play in our league and maybe hopefully, we get to play in other international tournaments. One thing for sure, we want to make the whole basketball community more inclusive at mas magtulungan dahil at the end of the day, it’s the fans and the players who will benefit from that kapag naglalaro sa international competitions." With Reyes being able to explore different basketball situations around the world, he expressed that his experiences playing abroad shaped his ideas on forming the league and wanted to make it into existence in the Philippines. “Filbasket was really formed because of all my experiences, I really want to bring here everything I saw around the world,” he added.
FilBasket is slated to launch its inaugural season on September 25, 2021 under a bubble-type setup inside Splendido in Laurel, Batangas with its initial lineup of participating teams headlined by Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) champion teams San Juan Knights and Davao Occidental Tigers as well as Sta. Lucia Realty. With its maiden voyage on the horizon amidst the continuing threat of the pandemic, FilBasket hopes to serve as an alternative platform for Filipino professional, non-professional and veteran basketball players to compete and showcase their prowess in the hard court and, at the same time, bring a new flavor to basketball fans. Follow FilBasket on its official Facebook page for more news and updates on the upcoming inaugural season.
