IN PHOTOS: As FIBA World Cup opens, Pinoys show love for basketball | ABS-CBN

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IN PHOTOS: As FIBA World Cup opens, Pinoys show love for basketball

IN PHOTOS: As FIBA World Cup opens, Pinoys show love for basketball

Mark Demayo,

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated Aug 25, 2023 12:04 PM PHT

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Adversity, they say, inspires us to give it our best. And the Philippines is one country that is not lacking in adversity.

Take, for example, basketball.

We are, in general, short, and even the infrastructure for sports is mostly wanting. But gather a few boys together and the game is on. All they need is a ball and a ring (sometimes even the latter is questionable).

Because in the Philippines, everybody plays basketball. It doesn't matter whether you're skilled or not, if you can dribble or throw a ball. It's like karaoke. When you are a Filipino and you are challenged to sing, nobody says no.

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The game is easy to arrange -- you just meet up and you play. In 2s, 3s, 5s, any number would do. And as you can see here, it doesn't matter WHERE!

And this is what makes the Filipinos love basketball -- the challenge.
All these people playing hoops may not make it to the big league, but they definitely give it all even for just a short game by the roadside. For the challenge.

So despite the adversity -- with the economy facing inflation, the difficulties of organizing after the pandemic, and even the insufficient number of venues not just for the games but for practice -- the Philippines still stuck to its dream of hosting basketball's biggest event, the FIBA World Cup, back in 2017. And despite the tall task for our Gilas Pilipinas team who will face the mightiest of the sport in the world

The challenge has been accepted. Come August 25, Filipinos will be there for the FIBA World Cup 2023.

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For more stories on the FIBA World Cup, click here.

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