Philippines national basketball team
Encyclopedia
The men's national basketball team of the Philippines represents the Philippines
in international basketball competitions. It is managed by its national basketball federation, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (Basketball Federation of the Philippines or simply SBP). The team won a bronze medal in the 1954 FIBA World Championship
for men, the best finish of any team outside the Americas and Europe, and a fifth-place finish in the 1936 Summer Olympics
, the best performance by a team outside the Americas, Europe and Oceania.
The current national team, nicknamed "Team Pilipinas" (Team Philippines) or "Smart Gilas Pilipinas," is sponsored by Smart Communications
and is currently coached by Rajko Toroman
.
Aside from the bronze medal at the World Championships and the fifth-place Olympic finish, the Philippines has won five FIBA Asian Championships
for Men, four Asian Games Men's Basketball
gold medals and a consistent winner at the Southeast Asian Games
and at the Southeast Asia Basketball Association
. The country has also participated in four FIBA World Championship
s and seven Olympic Basketball Tournament
s.
The Philippines dominated the Far Eastern Games
and the Southeast Asian Games
but only partially dominate the Asian Games
and FIBA Asia Championship
with rivals like Israel
, (South) Korea, Lebanon
, Japan
and especially China
.
from 1913 to 1934, winning all but one (1921) championship. The games were not under the supervision of FIBA at that time. The Basketball Association of the Philippines
(BAP) was founded in 1936, and became a part of FIBA later that year. Also in the same year, the BAP sent a team nicknamed "the Islanders" that participated in the first Olympic basketball tournament
in Los Angeles. With the tournament under a single-elimination tournament from the third game onwards, the Philippines won their first three games only to face the United States in their fourth game. The USA doubled the Philippines' score as they advanced to the next round. The Philippines wound up fifth place in the best finish by an Asian team in Olympic basketball history.
The Philippines returned to the 1948 Olympics
in London. The team finished fourth of six teams in their group to be eliminated. The team wound up in tenth place. The Philippines had to go through a qualifying tournament to enter the main draw of the 1952 Olympics
in Helsinki. Defeating Hungary
and Israel
, the Filipinos were grouped with Argentina, Brazil and Canada; with their only win against Canada, the team was eliminated and finished tied for 9th.
In the 1950s–1960s, the Philippines was among the best in the world, producing world-class players like Carlos Loyzaga
, Lauro Mumar
, Mariano Tolentino and Edgardo Ocampo
. Loyzaga was even a part of the 1954 FIBA World Championship
Mythical Team selection, where the Philippines won the bronze medal. The Philippines finished second of their group behind Brazil and ahead of Paraguay
to enter the final round, where the team only lost against the USA by thirteen points. The Philippines' performance is the best performance by an Asian team in the world championship.
By virtue of their third place finish, the team qualified for the 1956 Olympics
at Melbourne. In the preliminaries, the team finish second behind the USA to enter the quarterfinals, where the team finished last suffering losses against France
, Uruguay
and Chile
. The Filipinos and the Chileans met again in the classification round, in which the Filipinos won to clinch seventh place.
The Philippines will again participate in the 1959 FIBA World Championship
. However, in a virtual elimination game, Puerto Rico
eliminated the Philippines to deny a final round berth. The Philippines finished eighth, the best among the classification round teams.
was held to determine Asia's participants in the Olympics and the World Championships. Qualifying for the Asian Championship was by zone; in this case, with the Philippines being the strongest team in Southeast Asia, the country will qualify easily for the continental championship. The inaugural Asian Championship was held in Manila
.
In the first four editions of the Asian Championship, the Philippines won three titles, the only loss coming from Japan
in Kuala Lumpur
, during the third championship. The Japanese scored a 71–65 win in the final group; the Philippines earlier won against them in the preliminary round by 20 points.
With an Asian Championship, the Philippines qualified for the 1960 Olympics
. In Rome, the Philippines did not qualify for the medal round, but did beat Spain
in the preliminaries, ultimately finishing 11th out of 16 nations. The country was supposed to host the 1963 World Championships, but President Diosdado Macapagal
refused to allow players from Yugoslavia
and other communist countries to enter the country. This caused the Philippines, despite winning the Asian Championships, to qualify via a pre-Olympic tournament, in which they were unsuccessful.
In the fifth championship at Bangkok
, the Philippines finished third, after a one-point loss against Japan, and an 86–95 loss against (South) Korea. The Asian Games tournaments were worse, as the Philippines was not able to finish in the top four during the 1960s. In the 1971 Asian Championship, the game against the Japanese turned out to be the deciding game, and the Japanese won anew, 93–69. Despite the loss, the team qualified to the Olympics in Munich
where the Philippines barely missed the cellar after a six-point win against Senegal
. The Munich Massacre
occurred, and with Egypt
leaving in protest, the Philippines avenged their loss against the Japanese with a 80–73 classification round win to finish 13th place. The next day, the controversial gold medal game against the USA and the Soviet Union was held, in which the Soviets won, breaking the Americans' championship streak since 1936. This will be the last Olympic appearance of the Philippines to date.
The next Asian championship at Manila ended triumphantly for the Filipinos, as they won the championship, beating the Japanese and the Koreans handily. The championship earned the Filipinos a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico
for the 1974 FIBA World Championship
, in which they were grouped with the United States. The Philippines finished win-less in the preliminaries, but managed to win twice in the classification round to avoid a last place finish.
(BAP), nine teams pulled out of BAP's jurisdiction and founded the professional Philippine Basketball Association
(PBA), taking along all the best players with them. This caused the BAP to send weakened teams in the subsequent international tournaments. This caused the Filipinos to fail to defend their Asian championship in 1975, with India
earning a shock blowout win to deny the Philippines a top-4 finish. The Chinese won the championship, beginning their unbeaten championship run that will last into 1983.
In 1978, the country finally hosted the World Championships, but with the best players playing in the PBA, the Philippines finished dead last in the final group, and were blown out by Australia
in the playoff for seventh place. The final went into overtime, with Yugoslavia
eking out a 1-point win against the Soviet Union
. This is the last appearance of the Philippines in the World Championship to date.
To offset the loss of players to the PBA, the BAP delegated to Danding Cojuangco the formation of a team that will train together for several months, in essence, a club team unaffiliated with any league. The result was the Northern Cement basketball team coached by the American Ron Jacobs that had four naturalized players. In the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, the team finished fourth behind Korea, China and Japan. In the 1983 Asian Championship in Hong Kong, the Philippines forfeited their preliminary round games after a misunderstanding the rules caused the Philippines to play more than one naturalized player on the floor at the time. The Philippines, without their naturalized players, made short work of the classification round to finish in ninth place.
Future PBA stars such as Allan Caidic
, Samboy Lim
and Hector Calma
remained a part of the Northern Cement team, and competed in the 1985 Asian Championship in Kuala Lumpur
. The Philippines won by more than 10 points in the all of their preliminary round games, including a 17-point win against Japan, knocking them out of the tournament. In the final group, the Philippines won by four points against Korea and ten points against Malaysia
to set up a de facto championship gambruaryagainst China. The Philippines won by ten points to claim the Asian Championship and qualify for the 1986 FIBA World Championship
.
On February 22, 1986, the People Power Revolution erupted and forced president Ferdinand Marcos
into exile. Cojuangco, a known ally of Marcos, also left the country, causing the team not to participate in the World Championship. The team did participate in the 1986 Asian Games, finishing third behind China and Korea.
, the BAP-sponsored team suffered a shock loss to Malaysia
in the gold medal game, the only time the Philippines failed to win the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games
in which basketball was played.
In 1990, the Philippines sent an all-pro national team, coached by Robert Jaworski
, to regain the country's basketball supremacy in the Asian Games but the team lost in the final against China and settled for a silver medal. The team includes 1990 PBA Most Valuable Player Allan Caidic and Samboy Lim, who were both selected in the Asian Games Mythical Five Selections.
In the 1991 Asian Championship in Kobe
, Japan, the Philippines finished second in their preliminary round group behind China, but a loss against Japan caused their elimination, ending up in seventh place, when Jordan
forfeited the game. In 1993, the Philippines failed to qualify in the quarterfinal groups, suffering losses against Korea (five points) and the UAE
(four points) en route to an 11th place finish.
In the 1994 Asian Games
in Hiroshima
, the Philippines, coached by the American Norman Black
, sent in a team composed of PBA players and selected amateurs. The team finish second in the preliminary round, losing to Korea. The loss to Korea meant that the Philippines has to face China; despite losing, the Chinese had their slimmest winning margin in the tournament with nine points, en route to their gold medal. The Philippines were upended by the hosts Japan in the bronze medal game, losing by three points in overtime.
With no PBA players on the roster, the team on the 1995 Asian Championship in Seoul
finished last in the preliminary round, but managed to win two games in the classification round to finish 12th out of 19 teams. The team that went to Riyadh
for the ABC Championship 1997 did only marginally better; they still finished last in the preliminary round but topped the classification round group en route to a ninth place finish.
In 1998, the PBA formed the Philippine Centennial Team
coached by the American Tim Cone
that captured the 21st William Jones Cup championship but finished with the bronze medal in the 1998 Asian Games
held in Bangkok
. The Filipinos faced their old nemesis Korea in the quarterfinals and were blown out by twenty points, which lead them to face China in the semifinals anew. The result would be the same as four years earlier, with the Chinese winning by nine. The Filipinos won the bronze medal game though, against Kazakhstan
.
In the 1999 Asian Championship in Fukuoka
, Japan, the Philippines, with no PBA players on their roster, finished last in the preliminary round, and second in the classification round to finish 11th out of 15 teams. In Shanghai for the 2001 Asian Championship, the Philippines was suspended by FIBA due to leadership disputes at the BAP. This caused the country to miss their first Asian championship. By 2002, a compromise was sorted out, and the Philippines was allowed to participate in the 2002 Asian Games
, coached by Jong Uichico
.
In Busan
, South Korea, the Philippines easily qualified for the quarterfinals, in which they are grouped with China, Japan and Chinese Taipei
. The Philippines won by five points against Japan, and 14 points against Chinese Taipei. The game against China wasn't as close, with the Philippines losing by 41 points, but this assured that they won't have to face China in the semifinals. For the third consecutive time, the Filipinos and Koreans faced in the semifinals, with the same result: the Koreans won over the Philippines, this time by one point. Up by two points, Olsen Racela
missed two free throws, that led to a Korean three-pointer at the buzzer to eliminate the Filipinos. The team would lose in the bronze medal game against Kazakhstan by 2 points as Korea defeated China in overtime by a basket to win Asian Games gold for the first time since 1970.
With no PBA players in the roster, the 2003 Asian Championship in Harbin
will be the worst performance by the team in history: a 15th place finish out of 16 teams. Unlike in 1997 and 1999, the Philippines had one win in the preliminary round (against Jordan). However, in the classification round, the Philippines emerged winless in a group containing Syria
, Kuwait and Hong Kong. Only a blow out win against Malaysia saved the Philippines from dropping to the cellar. After the championship, BAP was heavily criticized and took steps to strengthen the team. However, after a loss against the Parañaque Jets, a team composed of politicians, actors and amateurs by the BAP-managed team, another leadership crisis in the BAP ensued which caused another suspension from FIBA. As a result, the Philippines was not able to participate in the FIBA Asia Championship 2005
and the 2006 Asian Games
.
, the Philippines was reinstated by FIBA. In the hastily-assembled team for the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima, the PBA-backed Philippine team defeated China, which didn't send their best team since they already qualified for the 2008 Olympics
, but lost to Iran
and Jordan to bow out of contention. The Filipinos and Chinese met again for the ninth place game in which the Filipinos won by two points.
With Yeng Guiao
coaching for the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship in Tianjin, the Philippines won their first two games, against Sri Lanka
and Japan, but with qualification for the eighth-finals certain, they were beaten by Korea to settle second in the preliminary round. In the eighth-finals, the team defeated Chinese Taipei and Kuwait, but were beaten by defending champions Iran to send the team into a quarterfinal match-up with Jordan. The Jordanians prevailed, and the Philippines lost two more consecutive classification games, the last to Korea, to settle for eighth place.
Following the Northern Cement model of the 1980, the SBP formed Smart Gilas
, backed by Manuel V. Pangilinan
, as a developmental team that aims to qualify in the 2012 Olympics
. In the 2010 Asian Games
, the Filipinos met the Korean team anew in the quarterfinals and was eliminated. In the 2011 championship at Wuhan
, the team progressed up to the semifinals for the first time since 1987. Meeting Jordan
, the team never recovered after a third quarter run by the Jordanians. In the bronze medal game against Korea with a berth to an Olympic qualifying tournament at stake, the team raced to an early lead, but the Koreans cut the lead and eventually won the game after the Filipinos missed free-throws at the end game. Despite missing an Olympic berth, Smart Gilas' performance was the best finish in the championship since 1987, and the best finish in any major Asian competition since 2002.
after President Diosdado Macapagal
refused to allow players from Yugoslavia
and other communist countries to enter the country. Later, the Philippines, despite being the Asian champion, was forced to play in a pre-Olympic tournament in order to qualify in the 1964 Summer Olympics
.
However, a few months after, FIBA stepped-in and ordered an election that resulted in Literal's victory as the President of the BAP. The suspension was quickly lifted and the Philippines was able to compete in the Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia.
The story began on April 10, 2005, when the BAP-sponsored Cebuana-Lhuillier Philippine National team (composed of little-known amateur players) lost to a lowly Parañaque Jets team (made up of showbiz personalities) in an NBC
Preseason tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum
. After hearing the news, POC President Jose "Peping" Cojuangco called for improvements on the national team, most notably, the sending of a new team made up of professionals from the Philippine Basketball Association
.
While both parties, with the involvement of the Philippine Basketball Association
, the Philippine Basketball League
, the UAAP and the NCAA, reportedly agreed on an agreement on the formation of a new national team, things soon returned to the usual verbal war. The POC, through a vote, first suspended, then in a later meeting, expelled the BAP as the official National Sports Association (NSA) member and installed a new member in the Philippine Basketball Federation. The BAP, under new President Joey Lina, said that the expulsion was unconstitutional in the by-laws of the POC.
The situation worsened when both parties still could not agree on who will banner the national team for the Southeast Asian Basketball Association tournament, a qualifier for the FIBA Asia tournament in Doha
, Qatar. FIBA Secretary-General Patrick Baumann, then handed the suspension of the RP team from any FIBA-sanctioned tournament.
In hopes of securing a long-term solution, FIBA, in a memorandum
, ordered the PBA, PBL, UAAP, NCAA and Joey Lina (as a person or in Lina's claim, as a representative of the BAP) to form a new constitution or a formation of a new basketball body.
By March 2006, four stakeholders have signed into the propose new basketball body, which later named as Pilipinas Basketball
. Lina, however, has refused to sign on the memorandum, citing unbalanced factors that was put in the draft for a new body. After the four stakeholders met with Baumann in South Korea, the suspension was not even lifted nor was the draft for a new body was even accepted since Lina has not signed it.
However, in a significant move by both Pilipinas Basketball and the BAP at the FIBA Congress in Japan, both parties signed an agreement that will pave the way for the formation of a new cage body on or before September 30. The deadline lapsed and no significant moves had been made until February 5, 2007.
After several meetings between FIBA Secretary-General Patrick Baumann, PB, and BAP officials in Geneva
and Bangkok
, a Unity Congress was held in which BAP, PB and Baumann attended. The BAP and PB agreed to merge to create the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) as the new national federation. The Philippine Olympic Committee
recognized the group as the new national governing body for basketball, after which the FIBA finally lifted the almost two-year-old suspension it imposed upon the country.
(1936, 1948, 1952) Felicisimo Fajardo (1952–1966) Herminio Silva (1954) Leo Prieto
(1956) Valentin "Tito" Eduque (1958, 1973–1974) Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan
(1959, 1970) Arturo Rius (1960) Enrique Crame (1962) Carlos Loyzaga
(1967–1968) Lauro Mumar
(1969)
Ignacio Ramos
(1971–1972) Nicanor Jorge (1978) Ron Jacobs (1980–1986) Joe Lipa
(1986–1989,1991–1993,1995–1997,1999–2001) Robert Jaworski
(1990) Norman Black
(1994, 2006) Tim Cone
(1998) Jong Uichico
(2002) Chot Reyes
(2005–2008) Yeng Guiao
(2008–2009) Rajko Toroman
(2009–present)
(Alphabetical Order by Surnames)
Johnny Abarrientos: Philippine basketball's and Asia's best point guard of the 1990s. Abarrientos played for the Philippines in the 1991 Southeast Asian Games
and the 1994 Asian Games
. He was later selected to play for the Philippine Centennial Team
to represent the country in the 1998 Asian Games
and the 21st William Jones Cup
. Abarrientos was named Most Valuable Player in an exhibition game against the FIBA Asia All-Stars team led by compatriot Romel Adducul.
Allan Caidic: Asia's most feared three-point shooter and arguably one of the greatest players ever to play for the Philippines internationally. He is a four-time veteran of the Asian Games (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) and a two-time William Jones Cup champion (1985, 1998). Early in his career, Caidic played a major role for the Philippines in capturing the 1985 Southeast Asian Games
and the 1985–1986 FIBA Asia Championship
. In 1990, he and Samboy Lim
were named at the Asian Games Mythical Five Selection after leading the Philippines to a silver medal finished. In 1994, he was the Asian Games basketball tournament's leading scorer and was named, for the second time, to the all-tournament Mythical Five selection. In 1998, he represented the country for the final time with the Philippine Centennial Team
.
Robert Jaworski: The world's oldest professional basketball player and arguably the Philippines' most popular basketball player of all time. He represented the country in numerous international tournaments and is one of the last surviving Filipino basketball players to play in the FIBA World Championship
and the Summer Olympics.
Samboy Lim: He represented the Philippines in the 1982 Asian Youth Championship and in the 1985–1986 FIBA Asia Championship. He was later named alongside Allan Caidic
into the 1990 Asian Games
Mythical Five selection after leading the national team to the finals.
Carlos Loyzaga: Probably the greatest Filipino international basketball player of all time. He led the Philippines to four consecutive Asian Games gold medals and three Asian championship titles. His biggest achievement was leading the country to a third place finish and the bronze medal in the 1954 FIBA World Championship
, the best finish by an Asian country in the history of the quadrennial tournament. He was later named into the all-tournament Mythical Five selection after finishing third leading scorer of that year's tournament. In 1960, he and Carlos Badion
were named at the Asian Basketball Confederation Mythical Five Selection after leading the Philippines to the first ever Asian championship crown.
Ambrosio Padilla: One of the greatest Filipino basketball players of the pre-World War II era. He played for the Philippines in the Far Eastern Games
before leading the country to a fifth place finish in the 1936 Summer Olympics
, the best finish by an Asian country in the history of the Summer Olympics men's basketball tournament.
Luis "Lou" Salvador: One of the offensive players in Philippine basketball history. Salvador played for the Philippines in several Far Eastern Games tournaments where, in 1923, he set an all-time record for the most points scored by a Filipino in a single international game with 116 points against China
to lead the Philippines to the gold medal. That record remains unbroken to this day.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in international basketball competitions. It is managed by its national basketball federation, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (Basketball Federation of the Philippines or simply SBP). The team won a bronze medal in the 1954 FIBA World Championship
1954 FIBA World Championship
The 1954 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 22 to November 5, 1954...
for men, the best finish of any team outside the Americas and Europe, and a fifth-place finish in the 1936 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics
-Fifth-place classification:-First round:Winners advanced to the second round. Losers competed in the first consolation round for another chance to move on.* Estonia def. France, 34-29* Chile def. Turkey, 30-16* Switzerland def. Germany, 25-18...
, the best performance by a team outside the Americas, Europe and Oceania.
The current national team, nicknamed "Team Pilipinas" (Team Philippines) or "Smart Gilas Pilipinas," is sponsored by Smart Communications
Smart Communications
Smart Communications is a wholly owned mobile phone and Internet service subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company .On June 30, 2010 the company reported that it had over 45 million cellular subscribers.-Brands:...
and is currently coached by Rajko Toroman
Rajko Toroman
Rajko Toroman is a Serbian professional basketball coach. He is currently the Philippines National Team Project Director for Basketball having been hired by country’s basketball federation Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas...
.
Aside from the bronze medal at the World Championships and the fifth-place Olympic finish, the Philippines has won five FIBA Asian Championships
FIBA Asia Championship
The FIBA Asia Championship for Men is a tournament which takes place every two years between teams of the continent. This is the Asian qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championship and the Olympic basketball tournament...
for Men, four Asian Games Men's Basketball
Basketball at the Asian Games
Basketball is an Asian Games sport since the 1951 edition. The Asian Games tournaments were the de facto Asian championships until the Asian Basketball Confederation Championship was founded in 1960.-Summaries:-Per nation:-Summaries:...
gold medals and a consistent winner at the Southeast Asian Games
Basketball at the Southeast Asian Games
Basketball is a Southeast Asian Games sport since the 1977 edition, with an exception in 2005 when the host country, the Philippines, was suspended by the International Basketball Federation....
and at the Southeast Asia Basketball Association
Southeast Asia Basketball Association
The Southeast Asia Basketball Association is a subzone of FIBA Asia consisting of countries from Southeast Asia. The ASEAN Basketball League, a professional league, is the top level of club competition run by the SEABA.-SEABA Championship:...
. The country has also participated in four FIBA World Championship
FIBA World Championship
The FIBA World Championship is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body...
s and seven Olympic Basketball Tournament
Basketball at the Summer Olympics
Basketball has been a Summer Olympics sport for men consistently since 1936. Prior to its inclusion as a medal sport, it was held as demonstration event in 1904 and 1932, both in the United States. Women's basketball was played in the Olympics only since 1976....
s.
History
Far Eastern Championship Games
The Far Eastern Championship Games was a small Asian multi-sport competition considered to be a precursor to the Asian Games....
and the Southeast Asian Games
Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games , is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia...
but only partially dominate the Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
and FIBA Asia Championship
FIBA Asia Championship
The FIBA Asia Championship for Men is a tournament which takes place every two years between teams of the continent. This is the Asian qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championship and the Olympic basketball tournament...
with rivals like Israel
Israel national basketball team
The Israeli national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Israel in international competition.The Israeli team has participated 25 times in the European championship tournament. Their best achievements were a silver medal in Eurobasket 1979, and 5th place in 1953 and 1977...
, (South) Korea, Lebanon
Lebanon national basketball team
The Lebanon national basketball team is the basketball team representing Lebanon in international competitions.-History:The first time basketball was ever played in Lebanon was in the mid-1920s in the American University of Beirut...
, Japan
Japan national basketball team
The Japanese national basketball team represents Japan in international basketball competitions. It is governed by the Japan Basketball Association . Japan is the second leading nation in qualifications to the Asian Basketball Championships...
and especially China
China national basketball team
The Chinese men's national basketball team is the basketball team representing China in international competitions. The governing body of Chinese basketball operations is the Basketball Association of China...
.
Early years
The Philippines first participated in international basketball in the Far Eastern Championship GamesFar Eastern Championship Games
The Far Eastern Championship Games was a small Asian multi-sport competition considered to be a precursor to the Asian Games....
from 1913 to 1934, winning all but one (1921) championship. The games were not under the supervision of FIBA at that time. The Basketball Association of the Philippines
Basketball Association of the Philippines
The Basketball Association of the Philippines was the International Basketball Federation recognized national governing body for basketball in the Philippines...
(BAP) was founded in 1936, and became a part of FIBA later that year. Also in the same year, the BAP sent a team nicknamed "the Islanders" that participated in the first Olympic basketball tournament
Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics
-Fifth-place classification:-First round:Winners advanced to the second round. Losers competed in the first consolation round for another chance to move on.* Estonia def. France, 34-29* Chile def. Turkey, 30-16* Switzerland def. Germany, 25-18...
in Los Angeles. With the tournament under a single-elimination tournament from the third game onwards, the Philippines won their first three games only to face the United States in their fourth game. The USA doubled the Philippines' score as they advanced to the next round. The Philippines wound up fifth place in the best finish by an Asian team in Olympic basketball history.
The Philippines returned to the 1948 Olympics
Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics was the second appearance of the sport as an official medal event. A total number of 23 nations entered the competition....
in London. The team finished fourth of six teams in their group to be eliminated. The team wound up in tenth place. The Philippines had to go through a qualifying tournament to enter the main draw of the 1952 Olympics
Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics was the third appearance of the sport. 23 nations entered the competition.The top six teams at the 1948 Summer Olympics qualified automatically, as did the 1950 World Champion , the top two at the 1951 European championships , and the host country...
in Helsinki. Defeating Hungary
Hungary national basketball team
The Hungarian national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Hungary in international competitions.-Medals:*Eurobasket 1946 - Bronze medal*Eurobasket 1953 - Silver medal*Eurobasket 1955 - Champions-Eurobasket 1935:...
and Israel
Israel national basketball team
The Israeli national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Israel in international competition.The Israeli team has participated 25 times in the European championship tournament. Their best achievements were a silver medal in Eurobasket 1979, and 5th place in 1953 and 1977...
, the Filipinos were grouped with Argentina, Brazil and Canada; with their only win against Canada, the team was eliminated and finished tied for 9th.
In the 1950s–1960s, the Philippines was among the best in the world, producing world-class players like Carlos Loyzaga
Carlos Loyzaga
Carlos M. Loyzaga is a former Filipino basketball player and coach. He led the Philippine National team to a Bronze Medal finish in the 1954 FIBA World Championship. The Philippines third place finish remains the highest rank of any Asian team in the history of the tournament...
, Lauro Mumar
Lauro Mumar
Lauro "Larry" Mumar , is a former Filipino basketball player and later served as the national team head coach of India and the Philippines...
, Mariano Tolentino and Edgardo Ocampo
Edgardo Ocampo
Edgardo L. Ocampo, also known as Ed Ocampo and Eddie Ocampo, was a former Filipino basketball player and head coach. Ocampo was born in Pampanga, Philippines. He played college ball for the Ateneo de Manila University, where he led the team to two championships in 1957 and 1958...
. Loyzaga was even a part of the 1954 FIBA World Championship
1954 FIBA World Championship
The 1954 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 22 to November 5, 1954...
Mythical Team selection, where the Philippines won the bronze medal. The Philippines finished second of their group behind Brazil and ahead of Paraguay
Paraguay national basketball team
The Paraguay national basketball team is the team governed by the Paraguayan Basketball Federation that represents Paraguay in the men's international basketball competitions organized by the International Basketball Federation and the International Olympic Committee .The best achievements by the...
to enter the final round, where the team only lost against the USA by thirteen points. The Philippines' performance is the best performance by an Asian team in the world championship.
By virtue of their third place finish, the team qualified for the 1956 Olympics
Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics was the fourth appearance of the sport in Olympic competition. Fifteen nations, an unusually low number for the basketball tournament, competed in the event, with 174 participants. A total number of 56 games of basketball were played.The teams were divided...
at Melbourne. In the preliminaries, the team finish second behind the USA to enter the quarterfinals, where the team finished last suffering losses against France
France national basketball team
The French national basketball team is the national basketball team representing France. It is administrated by the Fédération Française de Basket-Ball . The team has been competitive, but has yet to win a major international tournament...
, Uruguay
Uruguay national basketball team
The Uruguay national basketball team is the basketball side that represents Uruguay in international competitions.Uruguay's best achievement in basketball was obtaining the bronze medal in the both the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics.-Current squad:...
and Chile
Chile national basketball team
The Chile national basketball team represents Chile in basketball international competitions, and is controlled by the Federación de Básquetbol de Chile...
. The Filipinos and the Chileans met again in the classification round, in which the Filipinos won to clinch seventh place.
The Philippines will again participate in the 1959 FIBA World Championship
1959 FIBA World Championship
The 1959 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Chile from January 16 to 31 , 1959. Amaury Antônio Pasos was named the MVP....
. However, in a virtual elimination game, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico national basketball team
The Puerto Rico men's national basketball team represents Puerto Rico in international basketball competitions such as the Olympics, the World Championship, and the Americas Championship...
eliminated the Philippines to deny a final round berth. The Philippines finished eighth, the best among the classification round teams.
Birth of the Asian championships
Starting in 1960, the Asian Basketball ChampionshipFIBA Asia Championship
The FIBA Asia Championship for Men is a tournament which takes place every two years between teams of the continent. This is the Asian qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championship and the Olympic basketball tournament...
was held to determine Asia's participants in the Olympics and the World Championships. Qualifying for the Asian Championship was by zone; in this case, with the Philippines being the strongest team in Southeast Asia, the country will qualify easily for the continental championship. The inaugural Asian Championship was held in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.
In the first four editions of the Asian Championship, the Philippines won three titles, the only loss coming from Japan
Japan national basketball team
The Japanese national basketball team represents Japan in international basketball competitions. It is governed by the Japan Basketball Association . Japan is the second leading nation in qualifications to the Asian Basketball Championships...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, during the third championship. The Japanese scored a 71–65 win in the final group; the Philippines earlier won against them in the preliminary round by 20 points.
With an Asian Championship, the Philippines qualified for the 1960 Olympics
Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics was the fifth appearance of the sport in Olympic competition. 16 nations were admitted into the Olympic tournament, with many others being eliminated in a pre-Olympic tournament held earlier in the year from 13 to 20 August 1960 at the Sports Palace at Bologna...
. In Rome, the Philippines did not qualify for the medal round, but did beat Spain
Spain national basketball team
The Spanish national basketball team is the basketball team representing Spain in international competitions, organized and run by the Spanish Basketball Federation...
in the preliminaries, ultimately finishing 11th out of 16 nations. The country was supposed to host the 1963 World Championships, but President Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal was the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth Vice President, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970...
refused to allow players from Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and other communist countries to enter the country. This caused the Philippines, despite winning the Asian Championships, to qualify via a pre-Olympic tournament, in which they were unsuccessful.
In the fifth championship at Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, the Philippines finished third, after a one-point loss against Japan, and an 86–95 loss against (South) Korea. The Asian Games tournaments were worse, as the Philippines was not able to finish in the top four during the 1960s. In the 1971 Asian Championship, the game against the Japanese turned out to be the deciding game, and the Japanese won anew, 93–69. Despite the loss, the team qualified to the Olympics in Munich
Basketball at the 1972 Summer Olympics
-Group B:-Medal bracket:-Classification brackets:5th–8th Place9th–12th Place13th–16th Place Forfeited match.-Gold Medal Match controversy:...
where the Philippines barely missed the cellar after a six-point win against Senegal
Senegal national basketball team
The Senegal national basketball team are the men's basketball side that represent Senegal in international competition. The squad has comprised several players to have competed in the National Basketball Association, including Charlotte Bobcats center DeSagana Diop, and is considered, with those...
. The Munich Massacre
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
occurred, and with Egypt
Egypt national basketball team
The Egypt national basketball team is the basketball side that represents Egypt in international competitions.-Eurobasket 1937:The Egyptians finished last at the second European basketball championship, the Eurobasket 1937 held by FIBA Europe continental federation...
leaving in protest, the Philippines avenged their loss against the Japanese with a 80–73 classification round win to finish 13th place. The next day, the controversial gold medal game against the USA and the Soviet Union was held, in which the Soviets won, breaking the Americans' championship streak since 1936. This will be the last Olympic appearance of the Philippines to date.
The next Asian championship at Manila ended triumphantly for the Filipinos, as they won the championship, beating the Japanese and the Koreans handily. The championship earned the Filipinos a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
for the 1974 FIBA World Championship
1974 FIBA World Championship
The 1974 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974.-Venues:- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:-Final round:...
, in which they were grouped with the United States. The Philippines finished win-less in the preliminaries, but managed to win twice in the classification round to avoid a last place finish.
Creation of the Philippine Basketball Association
In 1975, after disputes with the Basketball Association of the PhilippinesBasketball Association of the Philippines
The Basketball Association of the Philippines was the International Basketball Federation recognized national governing body for basketball in the Philippines...
(BAP), nine teams pulled out of BAP's jurisdiction and founded the professional Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
(PBA), taking along all the best players with them. This caused the BAP to send weakened teams in the subsequent international tournaments. This caused the Filipinos to fail to defend their Asian championship in 1975, with India
India national basketball team
The India men's national basketball team represents India in international men's basketball. It is controlled by Basketball Federation of India....
earning a shock blowout win to deny the Philippines a top-4 finish. The Chinese won the championship, beginning their unbeaten championship run that will last into 1983.
In 1978, the country finally hosted the World Championships, but with the best players playing in the PBA, the Philippines finished dead last in the final group, and were blown out by Australia
Australia national basketball team
The Australian national basketball team is the men's basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known in Australia as the Boomers, an Australian slang term for Kangaroo. Australia is ranked 9th in the world and finished 7th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic...
in the playoff for seventh place. The final went into overtime, with Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national basketball team
The Yugoslavian national basketball team represented the Kingdom and socialist Yugoslavia. Its of governing body was the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia, whose seat was in Belgrade....
eking out a 1-point win against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union national basketball team
The Soviet national basketball team was the basketball side that represented the Soviet Union in international competitions. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the successor countries all set up their own national teams...
. This is the last appearance of the Philippines in the World Championship to date.
To offset the loss of players to the PBA, the BAP delegated to Danding Cojuangco the formation of a team that will train together for several months, in essence, a club team unaffiliated with any league. The result was the Northern Cement basketball team coached by the American Ron Jacobs that had four naturalized players. In the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, the team finished fourth behind Korea, China and Japan. In the 1983 Asian Championship in Hong Kong, the Philippines forfeited their preliminary round games after a misunderstanding the rules caused the Philippines to play more than one naturalized player on the floor at the time. The Philippines, without their naturalized players, made short work of the classification round to finish in ninth place.
Future PBA stars such as Allan Caidic
Allan Caidic
Alan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
, Samboy Lim
Samboy Lim
Avelino B. Lim, Jr. , better known as Samboy Lim, is a former basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. As a shooting guard, the iconic Lim distinguished himself with Magic Johnson-like ball handling skills and Julius "Dr...
and Hector Calma
Hector Calma
Hector Calma is a retired Filipino professional basketball player. At 5 feet and 6 inches, he played at the point guard position and was most notably associated with the San Miguel Beer team of the Philippine Basketball Association....
remained a part of the Northern Cement team, and competed in the 1985 Asian Championship in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. The Philippines won by more than 10 points in the all of their preliminary round games, including a 17-point win against Japan, knocking them out of the tournament. In the final group, the Philippines won by four points against Korea and ten points against Malaysia
Malaysia national basketball team
The Malaysia national basketball team represents Malaysia at international basketball competitions. Its sole appearance at a world championship was in 1986. Petronas is the major sponsor for Malaysia Basketball Association. The women's national team have more successes internationally compared to...
to set up a de facto championship gambruaryagainst China. The Philippines won by ten points to claim the Asian Championship and qualify for the 1986 FIBA World Championship
1986 FIBA World Championship
The 1986 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Spain from July 5 to 19 1986.The Final phase of the tournament was held at the Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid...
.
On February 22, 1986, the People Power Revolution erupted and forced president Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
into exile. Cojuangco, a known ally of Marcos, also left the country, causing the team not to participate in the World Championship. The team did participate in the 1986 Asian Games, finishing third behind China and Korea.
Professional era
In 1989, FIBA allowed professionals to play in their tournaments. This caused the BAP to have an agreement with the PBA in which the latter will form national teams for the Asian Games, while the former will do so in other tournaments. In the 1989 Southeast Asian Games1989 Southeast Asian Games
The 15th Southeast Asian Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 20 August - 31 August 1989. It was officially opened by 9th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Azlan Shah. Although Cambodia did not participate, Laos returned to compete for the first time under the new federation name in this...
, the BAP-sponsored team suffered a shock loss to Malaysia
Malaysia national basketball team
The Malaysia national basketball team represents Malaysia at international basketball competitions. Its sole appearance at a world championship was in 1986. Petronas is the major sponsor for Malaysia Basketball Association. The women's national team have more successes internationally compared to...
in the gold medal game, the only time the Philippines failed to win the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games
Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games , is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia...
in which basketball was played.
In 1990, the Philippines sent an all-pro national team, coached by Robert Jaworski
Robert Jaworski
Robert Salazar Jaworski , also known as Sonny Jaworski, Bobby Jaworski, Robert Jaworski, Sr. or simply Jawo, is a former Philippine senator, basketball coach and Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association and PBA basketball player.Known as The Big J and called The Living Legend...
, to regain the country's basketball supremacy in the Asian Games but the team lost in the final against China and settled for a silver medal. The team includes 1990 PBA Most Valuable Player Allan Caidic and Samboy Lim, who were both selected in the Asian Games Mythical Five Selections.
In the 1991 Asian Championship in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Japan, the Philippines finished second in their preliminary round group behind China, but a loss against Japan caused their elimination, ending up in seventh place, when Jordan
Jordan national basketball team
The Jordan national basketball team is the official basketball team of Jordan in international competitions. It is one of the top teams in Asia and is the defending champion of the 29th William Jones Cup....
forfeited the game. In 1993, the Philippines failed to qualify in the quarterfinal groups, suffering losses against Korea (five points) and the UAE
United Arab Emirates national basketball team
The United Arab Emirates national basketball team, represents the United Arab Emirates in international basketball competitions and is controlled by United Arab Emirates Basketball Association.-FIBA Asia Championship:* best performance: 1997 : 5th...
(four points) en route to an 11th place finish.
In the 1994 Asian Games
Basketball at the 1994 Asian Games
Basketball was one of the many sports which was held at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan between 2 October and 16 October 1994. China defeated Korea in the men's final en route to their 4th title, while Korea edged host Japan to claim their 2nd title in the women's final.-Medal...
in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, the Philippines, coached by the American Norman Black
Norman Black
Norman Augustus Black is an American retired professional basketball player in the CBA, NBA, and PBA who has since settled in the Philippines. He is also a former head coach of the San Miguel Beermen, Mobiline Phone Pals, Pop Cola 800s, and Sta. Lucia Realtors...
, sent in a team composed of PBA players and selected amateurs. The team finish second in the preliminary round, losing to Korea. The loss to Korea meant that the Philippines has to face China; despite losing, the Chinese had their slimmest winning margin in the tournament with nine points, en route to their gold medal. The Philippines were upended by the hosts Japan in the bronze medal game, losing by three points in overtime.
With no PBA players on the roster, the team on the 1995 Asian Championship in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
finished last in the preliminary round, but managed to win two games in the classification round to finish 12th out of 19 teams. The team that went to Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
for the ABC Championship 1997 did only marginally better; they still finished last in the preliminary round but topped the classification round group en route to a ninth place finish.
In 1998, the PBA formed the Philippine Centennial Team
Philippine Centennial Team
The Philippine Centennial Team was the nickname of the Philippine Basketball Association -backed national basketball team in 1998. The team consists of professional players in the country that includes national team veterans Allan Caidic and Alvin Patrimonio, both sharing the distinction of being...
coached by the American Tim Cone
Tim Cone
Earl Timothy Cone, better known as Tim Cone, is an American head coach of B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is known for leading the Aces to 13 PBA titles in its franchise history while leading the 1996 Milkmen to a rare PBA Grandslam. He also once coached the Philippine...
that captured the 21st William Jones Cup championship but finished with the bronze medal in the 1998 Asian Games
Basketball at the 1998 Asian Games
Basketball was one of the many sports which was held at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand between 8 December and 19 December 1998. China again swept all their assignments en route to their 5th title in the men's tournament, while Japan notched their 2nd title after thrashing China in the...
held in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. The Filipinos faced their old nemesis Korea in the quarterfinals and were blown out by twenty points, which lead them to face China in the semifinals anew. The result would be the same as four years earlier, with the Chinese winning by nine. The Filipinos won the bronze medal game though, against Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national basketball team
The Kazakhstan national basketball team represents Kazakhstan in basketball international competitions. They belong to the FIBA Asia zone.Kazakhstan's best finish in international competition was 3rd in the 2002 Asian Games, beating the Philippines in the bronze medal game, and a fourth place...
.
In the 1999 Asian Championship in Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
, Japan, the Philippines, with no PBA players on their roster, finished last in the preliminary round, and second in the classification round to finish 11th out of 15 teams. In Shanghai for the 2001 Asian Championship, the Philippines was suspended by FIBA due to leadership disputes at the BAP. This caused the country to miss their first Asian championship. By 2002, a compromise was sorted out, and the Philippines was allowed to participate in the 2002 Asian Games
Basketball at the 2002 Asian Games
Basketball was one of the many sports which was held at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea between 28 September and 14 October 2002. The competition took place at Geumjeong Gymnasium.-Medal table:-Medalists:-Group A:-Group B:...
, coached by Jong Uichico
Jong Uichico
Joseph Enrique Uichico, better known as Jong Uichico, is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Uichico is a former Philippines national basketball team Youth member and a former player and head coach of the La Salle...
.
In Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, South Korea, the Philippines easily qualified for the quarterfinals, in which they are grouped with China, Japan and Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei national basketball team
The Chinese Taipei national basketball team is the basketball team representing Taiwan in international competitions, organized and run by the CTBA...
. The Philippines won by five points against Japan, and 14 points against Chinese Taipei. The game against China wasn't as close, with the Philippines losing by 41 points, but this assured that they won't have to face China in the semifinals. For the third consecutive time, the Filipinos and Koreans faced in the semifinals, with the same result: the Koreans won over the Philippines, this time by one point. Up by two points, Olsen Racela
Olsen Racela
, better known as , is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is also a part time analyst, assistant coach of the Petron Blaze Boosters, and the current head coach of the Philippines under-16 basketball team. He is considered the best point...
missed two free throws, that led to a Korean three-pointer at the buzzer to eliminate the Filipinos. The team would lose in the bronze medal game against Kazakhstan by 2 points as Korea defeated China in overtime by a basket to win Asian Games gold for the first time since 1970.
With no PBA players in the roster, the 2003 Asian Championship in Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
will be the worst performance by the team in history: a 15th place finish out of 16 teams. Unlike in 1997 and 1999, the Philippines had one win in the preliminary round (against Jordan). However, in the classification round, the Philippines emerged winless in a group containing Syria
Syria national basketball team
Syria national basketball team represents Syria in international basketball competitions.-Eurobasket 1949:Syria's debut in the European championships came at Eurobasket 1949, held in Cairo, Egypt...
, Kuwait and Hong Kong. Only a blow out win against Malaysia saved the Philippines from dropping to the cellar. After the championship, BAP was heavily criticized and took steps to strengthen the team. However, after a loss against the Parañaque Jets, a team composed of politicians, actors and amateurs by the BAP-managed team, another leadership crisis in the BAP ensued which caused another suspension from FIBA. As a result, the Philippines was not able to participate in the FIBA Asia Championship 2005
FIBA Asia Championship 2005
The 2005 FIBA Asia Championship was the men's basketball qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the 2006 FIBA World Championship at Japan.In order to qualify for the tournament, teams would have to go through regional qualifiers. At the main tournament, three nations qualified for the world...
and the 2006 Asian Games
Basketball at the 2006 Asian Games
Basketball at the 2006 Asian Games was the second early start among the sports in the games. It was played from November 23 to December 15, 2006. In this competition, 20 teams participated in the men's competition and 8 teams played in the women's tournament...
.
SBP era
After the conclusion of the leadership struggle that saw the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), an organization backed by the PBA among others, being recognized by both FIBA and the Philippine Olympic CommitteePhilippine Olympic Committee
The Philippine Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee of the Philippines.-About the POC:The POC is a private, non-governmental organization composed of and serve as the mother organization of all National Sports Associations in the Philippines...
, the Philippines was reinstated by FIBA. In the hastily-assembled team for the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima, the PBA-backed Philippine team defeated China, which didn't send their best team since they already qualified for the 2008 Olympics
Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Basketball contests at the 2008 Olympic Games were held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008. Competitions were held at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China...
, but lost to Iran
Iran national basketball team
The Iran national basketball team represents Iran in international basketball competitions and is controlled by IR Iran Basketball Federation. It is one of the strongest teams in Asia, and the two time champions of the FIBA Asia Championship.-History:...
and Jordan to bow out of contention. The Filipinos and Chinese met again for the ninth place game in which the Filipinos won by two points.
With Yeng Guiao
Yeng Guiao
Joseller "Yeng" Guiao is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association, and was also the head coach of the Philippine National Basketball Team. Guiao won four PBA titles since starting his head coaching job for Swift in...
coaching for the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship in Tianjin, the Philippines won their first two games, against Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka national basketball team
The Sri Lankan national basketball team is the basketball team representing Sri Lanka in international competitions.-History:Basketball was first introduced to Sri Lanka in 1917 by an American, Walter Cammak. Ten years later in 1927, Ananda College was the first school to introduce basketball in...
and Japan, but with qualification for the eighth-finals certain, they were beaten by Korea to settle second in the preliminary round. In the eighth-finals, the team defeated Chinese Taipei and Kuwait, but were beaten by defending champions Iran to send the team into a quarterfinal match-up with Jordan. The Jordanians prevailed, and the Philippines lost two more consecutive classification games, the last to Korea, to settle for eighth place.
Following the Northern Cement model of the 1980, the SBP formed Smart Gilas
Smart Gilas
Smart Gilas Pilipinas is a developmental Philippine national basketball team sponsored by Smart Communications and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas...
, backed by Manuel V. Pangilinan
Manuel V. Pangilinan
Manuel V Pangilinan , also known as Manny Pangilinan and MVP, is a Filipino businessman. He is the Chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, from 1998 up to the present....
, as a developmental team that aims to qualify in the 2012 Olympics
Basketball at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- External links :**...
. In the 2010 Asian Games
Basketball at the 2010 Asian Games
Basketball was one of the 42 sports at the 16th Asian Games 2010 at Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. The event was held at the 13,000 seat Guangzhou International Sports Arena, Huangpu Gymnasium, Guangti Gymnasium, Ying Dong Gymnasium and Sports and Entertainment Centre.The Philippines, which has made...
, the Filipinos met the Korean team anew in the quarterfinals and was eliminated. In the 2011 championship at Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, the team progressed up to the semifinals for the first time since 1987. Meeting Jordan
Jordan national basketball team
The Jordan national basketball team is the official basketball team of Jordan in international competitions. It is one of the top teams in Asia and is the defending champion of the 29th William Jones Cup....
, the team never recovered after a third quarter run by the Jordanians. In the bronze medal game against Korea with a berth to an Olympic qualifying tournament at stake, the team raced to an early lead, but the Koreans cut the lead and eventually won the game after the Filipinos missed free-throws at the end game. Despite missing an Olympic berth, Smart Gilas' performance was the best finish in the championship since 1987, and the best finish in any major Asian competition since 2002.
1963
In 1963, FIBA suspended the Philippines for its failure to stage the 1963 FIBA World Championship1963 FIBA World Championship
The 1963 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from May 11 to 23 , 1963.- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:...
after President Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal was the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth Vice President, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970...
refused to allow players from Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and other communist countries to enter the country. Later, the Philippines, despite being the Asian champion, was forced to play in a pre-Olympic tournament in order to qualify in the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
.
2001
The Basketball Association of the Philippines leadership crisis worsened after a lengthy feud between the group of Graham Lim and Tiny Literal and the group of Freddie Jalasco and Lito Puyat which resulted in FIBA's suspension of the basketball NSA.However, a few months after, FIBA stepped-in and ordered an election that resulted in Literal's victory as the President of the BAP. The suspension was quickly lifted and the Philippines was able to compete in the Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia.
2005–2007
The Philippines was suspended by the International Basketball Federation on July 2005 after a long standing feud between the Philippine Olympic Committee and the BAP.The story began on April 10, 2005, when the BAP-sponsored Cebuana-Lhuillier Philippine National team (composed of little-known amateur players) lost to a lowly Parañaque Jets team (made up of showbiz personalities) in an NBC
National Basketball Conference
The National Basketball Conference was a regional-based basketball league in the Philippines formed in 2004. The league is sanctioned by the Philippine national sport association for basketball, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. Teams are also sponsored by the local government and sponsors.In...
Preseason tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum
Rizal Memorial Coliseum
The Rizal Memorial Coliseum is one of two indoor sporting arenas located inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, Philippines, the other being the Ninoy Aquino Stadium...
. After hearing the news, POC President Jose "Peping" Cojuangco called for improvements on the national team, most notably, the sending of a new team made up of professionals from the Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
.
While both parties, with the involvement of the Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
, the Philippine Basketball League
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League is a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league is composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.-History:...
, the UAAP and the NCAA, reportedly agreed on an agreement on the formation of a new national team, things soon returned to the usual verbal war. The POC, through a vote, first suspended, then in a later meeting, expelled the BAP as the official National Sports Association (NSA) member and installed a new member in the Philippine Basketball Federation. The BAP, under new President Joey Lina, said that the expulsion was unconstitutional in the by-laws of the POC.
The situation worsened when both parties still could not agree on who will banner the national team for the Southeast Asian Basketball Association tournament, a qualifier for the FIBA Asia tournament in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar. FIBA Secretary-General Patrick Baumann, then handed the suspension of the RP team from any FIBA-sanctioned tournament.
In hopes of securing a long-term solution, FIBA, in a memorandum
Memorandum
A memorandum is from the Latin verbal phrase memorandum est, the gerundive form of the verb memoro, "to mention, call to mind, recount, relate", which means "It must be remembered ..."...
, ordered the PBA, PBL, UAAP, NCAA and Joey Lina (as a person or in Lina's claim, as a representative of the BAP) to form a new constitution or a formation of a new basketball body.
By March 2006, four stakeholders have signed into the propose new basketball body, which later named as Pilipinas Basketball
Pilipinas Basketball
Pilipinas Basketball was the basketball governing body recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee from March 2006 to February 2007. It was formed to replace the POC-backed Philippine Basketball Federation, Inc. , which itself was formed to replace the FIBA-recognized Basketball Association of...
. Lina, however, has refused to sign on the memorandum, citing unbalanced factors that was put in the draft for a new body. After the four stakeholders met with Baumann in South Korea, the suspension was not even lifted nor was the draft for a new body was even accepted since Lina has not signed it.
However, in a significant move by both Pilipinas Basketball and the BAP at the FIBA Congress in Japan, both parties signed an agreement that will pave the way for the formation of a new cage body on or before September 30. The deadline lapsed and no significant moves had been made until February 5, 2007.
After several meetings between FIBA Secretary-General Patrick Baumann, PB, and BAP officials in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, a Unity Congress was held in which BAP, PB and Baumann attended. The BAP and PB agreed to merge to create the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) as the new national federation. The Philippine Olympic Committee
Philippine Olympic Committee
The Philippine Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee of the Philippines.-About the POC:The POC is a private, non-governmental organization composed of and serve as the mother organization of all National Sports Associations in the Philippines...
recognized the group as the new national governing body for basketball, after which the FIBA finally lifted the almost two-year-old suspension it imposed upon the country.
World championships
| World Championship Record FIBA World Championship The FIBA World Championship is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body... |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L |
 19501950 FIBA World Championship The 1950 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from October 22 to November 3, 1950. Ten nations participated in the inaugural tournament. All competition was held at the Luna Park, Buenos Aires... |
Did not participate | ||||
 19541954 FIBA World Championship The 1954 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 22 to November 5, 1954... |
Final | 3/12 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
 19591959 FIBA World Championship The 1959 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Chile from January 16 to 31 , 1959. Amaury Antônio Pasos was named the MVP.... |
Classification | 8/12 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
 19631963 FIBA World Championship The 1963 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from May 11 to 23 , 1963.- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:... |
Withdrew-suspended | ||||
 19671967 FIBA World Championship The 1967 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Montevideo, Uruguay from May 27 to June 11, 1967.-Venues:- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:... |
Did not qualify | ||||
 19701970 FIBA World Championship The 1970 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Yugoslavia at Sarajevo, Split, Karlovac, Skopje and Ljubljana, from May 10 to 24 , 1970... |
Did not qualify | ||||
 19741974 FIBA World Championship The 1974 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974.-Venues:- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:-Final round:... |
Classification | 13/14 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
 19781978 FIBA World Championship The 1978 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Philippines from October 1 to 14, 1978.Rizal Memorial Coliseum at Manila and Araneta Coliseum at Quezon City, Metro Manila were the venues for the event.-Venues:... |
Final | 8/14 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 1982 1982 FIBA World Championship The 1982 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Colombia from August 15 to 28 , 1982.-Venues:- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:-Final round:... to 2010 2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the... |
Did not qualify, participate or suspended | ||||
| Total | 4/15 | 1 bronze | 30 | 12 | 18 |
Olympic Games
| Olympic Games Record Basketball at the Summer Olympics Basketball has been a Summer Olympics sport for men consistently since 1936. Prior to its inclusion as a medal sport, it was held as demonstration event in 1904 and 1932, both in the United States. Women's basketball was played in the Olympics only since 1976.... |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | ||
 1936Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics -Fifth-place classification:-First round:Winners advanced to the second round. Losers competed in the first consolation round for another chance to move on.* Estonia def. France, 34-29* Chile def. Turkey, 30-16* Switzerland def. Germany, 25-18... |
5/8 | 5/23 | 5 | 4 | 1 | ||
 1948Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics was the second appearance of the sport as an official medal event. A total number of 23 nations entered the competition.... |
9/12 | 12/23 | 8 | 4 | 4 | ||
 1952Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics was the third appearance of the sport. 23 nations entered the competition.The top six teams at the 1948 Summer Olympics qualified automatically, as did the 1950 World Champion , the top two at the 1951 European championships , and the host country... |
Preliminary round | T-9/16 | 5 | 3 | 2 | ||
 1956Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics was the fourth appearance of the sport in Olympic competition. Fifteen nations, an unusually low number for the basketball tournament, competed in the event, with 174 participants. A total number of 56 games of basketball were played.The teams were divided... |
Quarterfinals | 7/15 | 8 | 4 | 4 | ||
 1960Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics was the fifth appearance of the sport in Olympic competition. 16 nations were admitted into the Olympic tournament, with many others being eliminated in a pre-Olympic tournament held earlier in the year from 13 to 20 August 1960 at the Sports Palace at Bologna... |
9/12 | 11/16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | ||
 1964Basketball at the 1964 Summer Olympics Basketball contests at the 1964 Summer Olympics took place at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan from October 11 to October 23. The United States defeated the Soviet Union to win their sixth straight gold medal at this event, while Brazil earned the bronze against Puerto... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
 1968Basketball at the 1968 Summer Olympics -Group B:October 13October 14October 15October 16October 18October 19October 20-Medal bracket:-Classification brackets:5th–8th Place9th–12th Place... |
13/16 | 13/16 | 9 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1972 Basketball at the 1972 Summer Olympics -Group B:-Medal bracket:-Classification brackets:5th–8th Place9th–12th Place13th–16th Place Forfeited match.-Gold Medal Match controversy:... |
13/16 | 13/16 | 9 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1976 Basketball at the 1976 Summer Olympics Basketball contests at the 1976 Summer Olympics took place from July 18 to July 27 at the Centre Étienne Desmarteau and the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Canada. Women's basketball was introduced to the Olympic program for the first time at this Games... to 2012 Basketball at the 2012 Summer Olympics - External links :**... |
Did not qualify, participate or suspended | ||||||
| Total | 7/17 | 0 medals | 52 | 25 | 27 | ||
Asian championships
| Asian Championship Record FIBA Asia Championship The FIBA Asia Championship for Men is a tournament which takes place every two years between teams of the continent. This is the Asian qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championship and the Olympic basketball tournament... |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L | |
| 1960 |
1st place | 9 | 9 | 0 | |
 1963 |
1st place | 11 | 9 | 2 | |
 1965 |
2nd place | 5 | 4 | 1 | |
 1967 |
1st place | 9 | 9 | 0 | |
 1969 |
3rd place | 9 | 7 | 2 | |
| 1971 |
2nd place | 8 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1973 |
1st place | 9 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1975 1975 ABC Championship The 1975 Asian Basketball Confederation Championship for Men were held in Bangkok, Thailand.-Group A:-Group B:-Final round:... |
5th place | 9 | 5 | 4 | |
| 1977 |
5th place | 9 | 5 | 4 | |
| 1979 |
4th place | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
 1981 |
4th place | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| 1983 | 9th place | 5 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1986 |
1st place | 6 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1987 |
4th place | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
 1989 |
8th place | 7 | 2 | 5 | |
| 1991 |
7th place | 9 | 5 | 4 | |
 1993 |
11th place | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
| 1995 |
12th place | 7 | 2 | 5 | |
 1997 |
9th place | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
| 1999 |
11th place | 6 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2001 |
Suspended | ||||
| 2003 |
15th place | 7 | 3 | 4 | |
 2005FIBA Asia Championship 2005 The 2005 FIBA Asia Championship was the men's basketball qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the 2006 FIBA World Championship at Japan.In order to qualify for the tournament, teams would have to go through regional qualifiers. At the main tournament, three nations qualified for the world... |
Suspended | ||||
| 2007 FIBA Asia Championship 2007 The 2007 FIBA Asia Championship for Men is the qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the men's basketball tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing. The tournament was held in Tokushima, Japan from July 28 to August 5, 2007.... |
9th place | 7 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2009 FIBA Asia Championship 2009 The 2009 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the biennial Asian continental championship and also served as the FIBA Asia qualifying tournament for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from August 6 to 16, 2009 in Tianjin, China.... |
8th place | 9 | 4 | 5 | |
| 2011 FIBA Asia Championship 2011 The 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Men is the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that doubles as a qualifying tournament for the men's basketball tournament of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, United Kingdom. The tournament was held in 15–25 September... |
4th place | 9 | 6 | 3 | |
| Total | 8 medals | 183 | 120 | 63 | |
Asian Games
| Asian Games Record Basketball at the Asian Games Basketball is an Asian Games sport since the 1951 edition. The Asian Games tournaments were the de facto Asian championships until the Asian Basketball Confederation Championship was founded in 1960.-Summaries:-Per nation:-Summaries:... |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L |
| 1951 1951 Asian Games The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad by the president of the organising committee Anthony de Mello... |
1st place | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 1954 1954 Asian Games The 1954 Asian Games was a mult-sport event celebrated in Manila, Philippines from May 1 to May 9, 1954. A total of 970 athletes from 19 Asian National Olympic Committees competed in 76 events from eight sports... |
1st place | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 1958 1958 Asian Games The 3rd Asian Games were held from May 24 to June 1, 1958 in Tokyo, Japan. A total number of 1,820 athletes, coming from 16 countries, competed in thirteen events at this Asiad. Debuting sports were field hockey, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball. Tokyo would go on to host the 1964 Summer... |
1st place | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| 1962 1962 Asian Games The 4th Asian Games were held from August 24, 1962 to September 4, 1962 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Most notable is the exclusion of Israel and the Republic of China from the Games.... |
1st place | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 1966 1966 Asian Games The 1966 Asian Games, also known as the V Asiad, is a multi-sport event which held from December 9, 1966 to December 20, 1966 in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 142 events in 14 sports will be contested by athletes in the game. Taiwan and Israel returned to the Asian Games, reversing the decision... |
6th place | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 1970 1970 Asian Games The 6th Asian Games were held from December 9, 1970 to December 20, 1970 in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally Seoul, South Korea was selected to host the 6th Games but it declined due to both financial reasons and security threats from neighboring North Korea. Previous host Thailand stepped in to save... |
5th place | 8 | 4 | 4 |
 19741974 Asian Games The 7th Asian Games were held from September 1, 1974 to September 16, 1974 in Tehran, Iran. The Aryamehr sports complex was made for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for the first time... |
4th place | |||
| 1978 1978 Asian Games The 8th Asian Games were held from December 9, 1978 to December 20, 1978 in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally, the host city was Singapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. And then Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan was decided to host the 8th Games... |
5th place | |||
| 1982 1982 Asian Games The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982 to December 4, 1982 in Delhi, India.An incredible 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.-Sports:... |
4th place | |||
| 1986 1986 Asian Games The 10th Asian Games were held from September 20, 1986 to October 5, 1986 in Seoul, South Korea. The city was supposed to host the 1970 games, but it received security threats from neighboring North Korea, forcing it to give up hosting the games to previous 1966 host Bangkok, Thailand... |
3rd place | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 1990 1990 Asian Games The 11th Asian Games also known as XI Asiad were held from September 22, 1990 to October 7, 1990 in Beijing, China. It was the first large-scale international sports event to be held in the People's Republic of China. A total number of 6,122 athletes, coming from 37 countries, competed in 29 sports... |
2nd place | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 1994 1994 Asian Games The 1994 Asian Games also known as XII Asiad were held from October 2 to October 16, 1994 in Hiroshima, Japan. The main theme of this edition was to promote peace and harmony among Asian nations. It was emphasized by the host because the venue was the site of the first atomic bomb attack in... |
4th place | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 1998 1998 Asian Games The 13th Asian Games were held from December 6 to December 20, 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand. This was the first time that Thailand bid for the event after it shouldered the two postponed hosting rights in 1970 and 1978.-Emblem:... |
3rd place | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 2002 2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games, also known as XIV Asiad is a multi-sport event held in Busan, South Korea from September 29 to October 14, 2002. Busan is the second city, after Seoul in 1986 to host the Games. A total of 419 events in 38 sports were contested by 7,711 athletes from 44 countries... |
4th place | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 2006 2006 Asian Games The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games... |
Suspended | |||
| 2010 2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games, also known as the XVI Asiad, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Guangzhou, China from November 12 to November 27, 2010. Guangzhou was the second Chinese city to host the Games, after Beijing in 1990... |
6th place | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| 2014 2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games, officially known as the XVII Asiad, is the largest sporting event in Asia governed by Olympic Council of Asia . It is scheduled to take place in Incheon, South Korea from September 19–October 4, 2014, with 36 sports set to feature in the Games.Incheon was awarded the right on... |
TBA | |||
| Total | 15/16 | 78 | 54 | 24 |
Southeast Asian championships
| Southeast Asian Championship Record SEABA Championship The SEABA Championship is a basketball tournament national teams organized by the Southeast Asia Basketball Association, a sub-zone of the FIBA Asia. It serves as a qualifier for the FIBA Asia Championship.- Summary :- Medal table :... |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L |
| 1994 |
4th place | |||
| 1996 |
2nd place | |||
 1998 |
1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 1999 |
1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 2001 |
1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 2003 |
1st place | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2005 |
Suspended | |||
| 2007 |
1st place | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2009 |
1st place | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2011 |
1st place | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 7 golds | 30 – 0 (excl. 1994 and 1996) | ||
Southeast Asian Games
| Southeast Asian Games Record Basketball at the Southeast Asian Games Basketball is a Southeast Asian Games sport since the 1977 edition, with an exception in 2005 when the host country, the Philippines, was suspended by the International Basketball Federation.... |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L |
| 1977 1977 Southeast Asian Games The 9th Southeast Asian Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 19 November - 26 November 1977. Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines were finally admitted into the SEAP Games Federation in February that year... |
1st place | – | – | – |
| 1979 1979 Southeast Asian Games The 10th Southeast Asian Games were held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 21–30 September 1979. It was the first time that Indonesia hosted the biennial sports carnival... |
1st place | – | – | – |
| 1981 1981 Southeast Asian Games The 11th Southeast Asian Games were held in Manila, Philippines from December 6, 1981 to December 15, 1981. This was the first time that the Philippines hosted the Games since its first participation in 1977. The event was officially opened by President Ferdinand Marcos and the cauldron was lit by... |
1st place | – | – | – |
 19831983 Southeast Asian Games The 12th Southeast Asian Games were held in Singapore from 28 May - 6 June 1983. Scheduled to be hosted by Brunei in accordance to the renewed alphabetical rotation of hosting duties, the 1983 SEA Games were offered to be hosted by Singapore as Brunei prepared for its forthcoming independence from... |
1st place | – | – | – |
| 1985 1985 Southeast Asian Games The 13th Southeast Asian Games were held in Bangkok, Thailand from 8 December - 17 December 1985.- Medal count :- Mascot :The official 1985 SEA Games mascot was a Siamese cat.The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Oriental cat... |
1st place | – | – | – |
| 1987 1987 Southeast Asian Games The 14th Southeast Asian Games were held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 9 September - 20 September 1987.-Medal count:-References:*Percy Seneviratne Golden Moments: the S.E.A Games 1959-1991 Dominie Press, Singapore ISBN 981-00-4597-2*... |
1st place | – | – | – |
| 1989 1989 Southeast Asian Games The 15th Southeast Asian Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 20 August - 31 August 1989. It was officially opened by 9th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Azlan Shah. Although Cambodia did not participate, Laos returned to compete for the first time under the new federation name in this... |
2nd place | – | – | – |
| 1991 1991 Southeast Asian Games The 16th Southeast Asian Games were held in Manila, the Philippines from 24 November - 3 December 1991. This was the second time that the country hosted the biennial regional sporting event. It was officially opened by President Corazon Aquino at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila through a... |
1st place | – | – | – |
| 1993 1993 Southeast Asian Games The 17th Southeast Asian Games were held in Singapore from 12 June to 20 June 1993.-Mascot:-Medal count:-References:**... |
1st place | – | – | – |
| 1995 1995 Southeast Asian Games The 18th Southeast Asian Games were held in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 1995. It was the first time that a non-capital city hosted the biennial sports event. The games were opened by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej... |
1st place | – | – | – |
| 1997 1997 Southeast Asian Games The 19th Southeast Asian Games were held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 11 October to 19 October 1997. It was opened by President of Indonesia names Suharto... |
1st place | – | – | – |
 19991999 Southeast Asian Games The 20th Southeast Asian Games were held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam from 7 August to 15 August 1999. It was the first time that the country hosted the biennial meet... |
1st place | – | – | – |
| 2001 2001 Southeast Asian Games The 21st Southeast Asian Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 8 September - 17 September 2001. The games were opened by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj in the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. He was introduced by Prime... |
1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 |
 20032003 Southeast Asian Games The 22nd Southeast Asian Games were held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 5 December - 13 December 2003. The games were opened by Vietnamese prime minister Phan Van Khai in the newly constructed My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi. The games torch was lit by Nguyen Thuy Hien of Wushu... |
1st place | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 2005 Southeast Asian Games The 23rd Southeast Asian Games were held in the Philippines from November 27 to December 5 in 2005. The games were participated by the eleven nations of Southeast Asia. This was the first time that the opening and closing ceremonies were held in a large open field, despite the fact that Manila... |
Suspended | |||
| 2007 2007 Southeast Asian Games The 24th Southeast Asian Games was held in Nakhon Ratchasima , Thailand from December 6 to December 15, 2007.... |
1st place | 4 | 4 | 0 |
 20092009 Southeast Asian Games The 25th Southeast Asian Games was held in Vientiane, Laos, in December 2009.This was the first time Laos had held the Southeast Asian Games... |
Not held | |||
| 2011 2011 Southeast Asian Games The 26th Southeast Asian Games was held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia on 11 until 22 November 2011. Indonesia's fourth time to host the SEA Games, it last hosted the Games in 1997... |
1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 15 golds | |||
FIBA Asia Stanković Cup
| FIBA Asia Stanković Cup FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup The FIBA Asia Stanković Cup is a tournament which takes place every two years between teams of the continent.-Summary:-Medal table:-Participating nations:-External links:*... |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L | |
| 2004 |
8th place | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
 2008FIBA Asia Stanković Cup 2008 The FIBA Asia Stanković Cup 2008 served as the qualfying tournament for the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship. This competition is distinct from the Stanković Cup intercontinental tournament attended by teams outside the FIBA Asia zone.-Qualification:... |
Did not participate | ||||
 2010FIBA Asia Stanković Cup 2010 2010 FIBA Asia Stanković Cup was the 3rd FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup, the basketball tournament of FIBA Asia was held in Beirut, Lebanon from 7th of August to 15th of August 2010, in Ghazir Club Court involving 10 national teams from Asia.... |
4th place | 7 | 3 | 4 | |
| Total | 2 appearances | 12 | 3 | 9 | |
Far Eastern Championship Games
| Far Eastern Games Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L |
 19131913 Far Eastern Games The 1st Far Eastern Games were held in February 1913 in Manila, Philippine Islands.... |
1st place | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 19151915 Far Eastern Games The 2nd Far Eastern Games were held in May 1915 in Shanghai, Republic of China.-Sports:* Athletics* Swimming* Cycling* Football * Basketball* Volleyball* Tennis* Baseball... |
1st place | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1917 1917 Far Eastern Games The 3rd Far Eastern Games were held in May 1917 in Tokyo, Empire of Japan.-External links:*... |
1st place | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1919 1919 Far Eastern Games The 4th Far Eastern Games were held in May 1919 in Manila, Philippines.-Participants:* China* Japan* PhilippinesFaustino Albano Carlos - Silver Pole Vault Medalist - represented the Philippines... |
1st place | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1921 1921 Far Eastern Games The 5th Far Eastern Games were held in June 1921 in Shanghai, Republic of China.-Participants:* China* Japan* Philippines* Malaya* India* Thailand* Java... |
2nd place | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1923 1923 Far Eastern Games The 6th Far Eastern Games were held in May 1923 in Osaka, Empire of Japan.During the Games, Lou Salvador of the Philippines' achieved the all-time record for the most points scored by a player in a single game in international basketball competition. He scored 116 points to lead the Philippines and... |
1st place | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1925 1925 Far Eastern Games The 7th Far Eastern Games were held in May 1925 in Manila, the Philippines, where the Games were first held.... |
1st place | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1927 1927 Far Eastern Games The 8th Far Eastern Games were held in August 1927 in Shanghai, Republic of China.... |
1st place | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1930 1930 Far Eastern Games The 9th Far Eastern Games were held in May 1930 in Tokyo, Empire of Japan.... |
1st place | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1934 1934 Far Eastern Games The 10th Far Eastern Games were held in May 1934 in Manila, Philippines.This was the last Far Eastern Championship Games. The 11th Far Eastern Championship Games was scheduled to be held in 1938 in Osaka, Japan, but was cancelled after the 1937 outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War.... |
1st place | |2 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 9 golds | 20 | 19 | 1 |
Depth Chart
| Pos. | Starter | Bench | Bench | Reserve | Inactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
Marcus Douthit Marcus Douthit Marcus Eugene Douthit is an American-Filipino basketball player who graduated from Providence College. After his stint with the Providence Friars, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Draft... |
Asi Taulava Asi Taulava Pauliasi M. Taulava also known as Asi Taulava is a American-born Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player playing in the Philippines for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association.... |
Jason Ballesteros | Greg Slaughter | |
| PF Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low... |
Kelly Williams Kelly Williams Kelly Williams is a Filipino-American professional basketball player currently playing for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association... |
Ranidel de Ocampo Ranidel de Ocampo Ranidel Rozal de Ocampo , better known as Ranidel de Ocampo, is a professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. de Ocampo currently plays for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters after he was traded by Air21 Express. He is the younger brother of Yancy de Ocampo... |
Japeth Aguilar Japeth Aguilar Japeth Paul C. Aguilar , better known as Japeth Aguilar born in Pampanga, Philippines, is a Filipino basketball player. He recently played for Smart Gilas, and will play for the Talk N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association... |
Aldrech Ramos | |
| SF SF SF may refer to:* San Francisco, California, United States* Science fiction-Sports:* Small forward, a position in basketball* Stade Français, a French rugby union team based in Paris* Superleague Formula, a motorsport racing series... |
Chris Lutz | Mac Baracael | Dylan Ababou | ||
| SG Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team... |
Chris Tiu Chris Tiu Chris Tiu , is a Filipino professional basketball player of Chinese-Filipino descent. He currently plays for the Smart Gilas team and is also a TV host, commercial model, and politician.He is the host of the TV shows Man vs... |
Marcio Lassiter Marcio Lassiter Marcio Tsongo Lassiter is a Filipino-American professional basketball player currently playing for the Powerade Tigers of the Philippine Basketball Association. He just completed his stint with the Philippine national basketball team, Smart Gilas... |
Dondon Hontiveros Dondon Hontiveros Donaldo "Dondon" Hontiveros is a Filipino professional basketball player actively playing for the Petron Blaze Boosters in the Philippine Basketball Association. He has a son named Isaiah with singer and fellow Cebu native Gail Blanco.A devout Christian, Hontiveros studied and honed his basketball... |
||
| PG Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that... |
JV Casio JV Casio Joseph Evans "JV" Casio, is Filipino basketball player for the Philippine national basketball team and the Smart Gilas. He was drafted 1st overall by the Powerade Tigers in 2011.-High School:... |
Andy Barrocca | Jimmy Alapag Jimmy Alapag Jim Olmedo Alapag , better known as Jimmy Alapag, is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association... |
Coaches
Pedro Villanueva (1930) Alfredo del Rosario (1934) Dionisio CalvoDionisio Calvo
Dionisio "Chito" Calvo was a Filipino basketball player, swimmer, and national team head coach. He was one of the greatest Filipino sportsmen in history and helped in the development of both Philippine and Asian basketball.Born in Manila, Philippines, he was a guard for the championship-winning...
(1936, 1948, 1952) Felicisimo Fajardo (1952–1966) Herminio Silva (1954) Leo Prieto
Leo Prieto
Leopoldo "Leo" L. Prieto was a Filipino sports executive who served as the first Commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association...
(1956) Valentin "Tito" Eduque (1958, 1973–1974) Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan
Baby Dalupan
Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan is a Filipino former basketball coach and player. He is the son of University of the East founder Dr. Francisco T...
(1959, 1970) Arturo Rius (1960) Enrique Crame (1962) Carlos Loyzaga
Carlos Loyzaga
Carlos M. Loyzaga is a former Filipino basketball player and coach. He led the Philippine National team to a Bronze Medal finish in the 1954 FIBA World Championship. The Philippines third place finish remains the highest rank of any Asian team in the history of the tournament...
(1967–1968) Lauro Mumar
Lauro Mumar
Lauro "Larry" Mumar , is a former Filipino basketball player and later served as the national team head coach of India and the Philippines...
(1969)
Ignacio Ramos
Ignacio Ramos (basketball)
Ignacio "Ning" Ramos is a former Filipino basketball player and head coach. He was part of the Philippine national basketball team that captured the gold medal at the 1951 Asian Games in New Delhi, India...
(1971–1972) Nicanor Jorge (1978) Ron Jacobs (1980–1986) Joe Lipa
Joe Lipa
Jose "Joe" Lipa, Jr. is a Filipino basketball coach. Lipa coached his alma mater, the University of the Philippines, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men's basketball. He has also had a head coaching stint for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, and the Air21 Express of the...
(1986–1989,1991–1993,1995–1997,1999–2001) Robert Jaworski
Robert Jaworski
Robert Salazar Jaworski , also known as Sonny Jaworski, Bobby Jaworski, Robert Jaworski, Sr. or simply Jawo, is a former Philippine senator, basketball coach and Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association and PBA basketball player.Known as The Big J and called The Living Legend...
(1990) Norman Black
Norman Black
Norman Augustus Black is an American retired professional basketball player in the CBA, NBA, and PBA who has since settled in the Philippines. He is also a former head coach of the San Miguel Beermen, Mobiline Phone Pals, Pop Cola 800s, and Sta. Lucia Realtors...
(1994, 2006) Tim Cone
Tim Cone
Earl Timothy Cone, better known as Tim Cone, is an American head coach of B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is known for leading the Aces to 13 PBA titles in its franchise history while leading the 1996 Milkmen to a rare PBA Grandslam. He also once coached the Philippine...
(1998) Jong Uichico
Jong Uichico
Joseph Enrique Uichico, better known as Jong Uichico, is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association. Uichico is a former Philippines national basketball team Youth member and a former player and head coach of the La Salle...
(2002) Chot Reyes
Chot Reyes
Vincent P. Reyes , better known as Chot Reyes, is a Filipino basketball head coach of the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association...
(2005–2008) Yeng Guiao
Yeng Guiao
Joseller "Yeng" Guiao is a Filipino professional basketball head coach for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association, and was also the head coach of the Philippine National Basketball Team. Guiao won four PBA titles since starting his head coaching job for Swift in...
(2008–2009) Rajko Toroman
Rajko Toroman
Rajko Toroman is a Serbian professional basketball coach. He is currently the Philippines National Team Project Director for Basketball having been hired by country’s basketball federation Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas...
(2009–present)
Notable players
(Past and Present)(Alphabetical Order by Surnames)
- Johnny AbarrientosJohnny AbarrientosJohnny Abarrientos is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was also a many-time member of the Philippine National team, and was the 1996 PBA MVP, becoming the shortest player to win the league's highest individual award.He is known by many...
(MVP, 2000 Philippines versus FIBA Asia All-Star Exhibition Game) - Rommel AdduculRommel AdduculRomel Adducul is a professional basketball player from the Philippines who currently plays in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Powerade Tigers....
(FIBA Asia All-Star, 1997–2000) - Bogs AdornadoBogs AdornadoWilliam "Bogs" Adornado is a former Filipino athlete who played basketball in both the amateur and professional ranks. He made his mark playing in the Philippine Basketball Association from 1975 to 1987...
- Kurt Bachmann
- Carlos BadionCarlos BadionCarlos Velasco Badion is a former Filipino basketball player. Although born in Pampanga, he grew up in Antonio Rivera Tondo, Manila where he started his checkered career playing in sandlot tournaments and for Abad Santos High...
(MVP, Mythical Five, 1960 Asian Basketball Confederation) - Charles BorckCharles BorckCharles Borck was a Filipino basketball player. Born in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines of a German father and a Spanish mother, he was nicknamed The Blonde Bombshell because of his blond hair and good looks...
- Allan CaidicAllan CaidicAlan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
(Mythical 5, 1990 Asian Games and 1994 Asian Games) - Hector CalmaHector CalmaHector Calma is a retired Filipino professional basketball player. At 5 feet and 6 inches, he played at the point guard position and was most notably associated with the San Miguel Beer team of the Philippine Basketball Association....
- Ramoncito Campos
- Jacinto Ciria CruzJacinto Ciria CruzJacinto "Jumping Jack" Ciria Cruz is a former Filipino basketball player and coach. Ciria Cruz played for the University of Santo Tomas men's basketball team, and also represented the Philippines at the 1936 Summer Olympics as a member of the country's national basketball team. He later ventured...
- Geronimo Cruz
- Mariano Felomino
- Ramon FernandezRamón FernándezRamon S. Fernandez is generally regarded as the greatest basketball player produced by the Philippine Basketball Association. Fernandez won four Most Valuable Player awards and a record of 19 PBA championships bagged...
- Danny FlorencioDanny FlorencioDanilo Zoleta Florencio , better known as Danny Florencio, is a pioneer of the Philippine Basketball Association having played in the PBA from 1975 to 1983. He played for different teams like the U/Tex Weavers, the 7-Up Uncolas, the Toyota Tamaraws, and the Galerie Dominique Artistas...
- Jovito Gonzales
- Robert JaworskiRobert JaworskiRobert Salazar Jaworski , also known as Sonny Jaworski, Bobby Jaworski, Robert Jaworski, Sr. or simply Jawo, is a former Philippine senator, basketball coach and Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association and PBA basketball player.Known as The Big J and called The Living Legend...
- Avelino "Samboy" LimSamboy LimAvelino B. Lim, Jr. , better known as Samboy Lim, is a former basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. As a shooting guard, the iconic Lim distinguished himself with Magic Johnson-like ball handling skills and Julius "Dr...
(Mythical 5, 1990 Asian Games)
- Eduardo LimEduardo LimEduardo C. Lim , also known as Eddie Lim, is a former basketball player like fellow San Beda Red Lions and Hall of Famers Carlos Loyzaga and Antonio Genato. He was a formidable guard who earned the moniker "Stonewall" from legendary sportscaster Willie Hernandez...
- Carlos "Caloy" LoyzagaCarlos LoyzagaCarlos M. Loyzaga is a former Filipino basketball player and coach. He led the Philippine National team to a Bronze Medal finish in the 1954 FIBA World Championship. The Philippines third place finish remains the highest rank of any Asian team in the history of the tournament...
(Mythical 5, 1954 World Basketball Championship and 1960 Asian Basketball Confederation) - Ramon Manulat
- Jaime "Jimmy" MarianoJimmy MarianoJaime L. Mariano , also known as Jimmy "Mr. Cool" Mariano, is a former Filipino basketball player and coach. Mariano was born in Malabon, Rizal, Philippines. Standing 6'4", he played the forward and center positions...
- Alfonso Marquez
- Lauro MumarLauro MumarLauro "Larry" Mumar , is a former Filipino basketball player and later served as the national team head coach of India and the Philippines...
- Edgardo "Ed" OcampoEdgardo OcampoEdgardo L. Ocampo, also known as Ed Ocampo and Eddie Ocampo, was a former Filipino basketball player and head coach. Ocampo was born in Pampanga, Philippines. He played college ball for the Ateneo de Manila University, where he led the team to two championships in 1957 and 1958...
- Ambrosio "Paddy" PadillaAmbrosio PadillaAmbrosio Bibby Padilla was a former Filipino basketball player and former elected member of the Senate of the Philippines. He was one of the most important figures in the Asian basketball development.Padilla was born as the eighth of eleven children of Dr. Nicanor Padilla and Ysabel Bibby...
- Adriano "Jun" Papa, Jr.
- Alvin PatrimonioAlvin PatrimonioAlvin Vergara Patrimonio , nicknamed "The Captain" and "Captain Lionheart" is a retired Filipino professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager of his former team, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.Patrimonio holds several PBA records...
(Mythical 5, 1987 Asian Basketball Confederation) - Alberto "Big Boy" ReynosoAlberto ReynosoAlberto C. Reynoso , also known by his nickname "Big Boy" Reynoso was a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines....
- Ponciano Saldaña
- Lou SalvadorLou SalvadorLuis "Lou" Salvador was a Filipino basketball player, stage actor and talent manager. As a player for the Philippine national basketball team during the 1923 Far Eastern Games, he scored 116 points in a single game. He later became a leading figure in Philippine show business as a talent manager...
(scored 116 points in international game vs China in 1923) - Asi TaulavaAsi TaulavaPauliasi M. Taulava also known as Asi Taulava is a American-born Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player playing in the Philippines for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association....
- Mariano Tolentino
Johnny Abarrientos: Philippine basketball's and Asia's best point guard of the 1990s. Abarrientos played for the Philippines in the 1991 Southeast Asian Games
1991 Southeast Asian Games
The 16th Southeast Asian Games were held in Manila, the Philippines from 24 November - 3 December 1991. This was the second time that the country hosted the biennial regional sporting event. It was officially opened by President Corazon Aquino at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila through a...
and the 1994 Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
. He was later selected to play for the Philippine Centennial Team
Philippine Centennial Team
The Philippine Centennial Team was the nickname of the Philippine Basketball Association -backed national basketball team in 1998. The team consists of professional players in the country that includes national team veterans Allan Caidic and Alvin Patrimonio, both sharing the distinction of being...
to represent the country in the 1998 Asian Games
1998 Asian Games
The 13th Asian Games were held from December 6 to December 20, 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand. This was the first time that Thailand bid for the event after it shouldered the two postponed hosting rights in 1970 and 1978.-Emblem:...
and the 21st William Jones Cup
William Jones Cup
The R. William Jones Cup is an international basketball tournament held annually in Taipei, Taiwan. It was named after Renato William Jones, a basketball promoter and one of the founders of the International Basketball Federation .The Jones Cup tournament started in 1977 and is held annually...
. Abarrientos was named Most Valuable Player in an exhibition game against the FIBA Asia All-Stars team led by compatriot Romel Adducul.
Allan Caidic: Asia's most feared three-point shooter and arguably one of the greatest players ever to play for the Philippines internationally. He is a four-time veteran of the Asian Games (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) and a two-time William Jones Cup champion (1985, 1998). Early in his career, Caidic played a major role for the Philippines in capturing the 1985 Southeast Asian Games
1985 Southeast Asian Games
The 13th Southeast Asian Games were held in Bangkok, Thailand from 8 December - 17 December 1985.- Medal count :- Mascot :The official 1985 SEA Games mascot was a Siamese cat.The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Oriental cat...
and the 1985–1986 FIBA Asia Championship
FIBA Asia Championship
The FIBA Asia Championship for Men is a tournament which takes place every two years between teams of the continent. This is the Asian qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championship and the Olympic basketball tournament...
. In 1990, he and Samboy Lim
Samboy Lim
Avelino B. Lim, Jr. , better known as Samboy Lim, is a former basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. As a shooting guard, the iconic Lim distinguished himself with Magic Johnson-like ball handling skills and Julius "Dr...
were named at the Asian Games Mythical Five Selection after leading the Philippines to a silver medal finished. In 1994, he was the Asian Games basketball tournament's leading scorer and was named, for the second time, to the all-tournament Mythical Five selection. In 1998, he represented the country for the final time with the Philippine Centennial Team
Philippine Centennial Team
The Philippine Centennial Team was the nickname of the Philippine Basketball Association -backed national basketball team in 1998. The team consists of professional players in the country that includes national team veterans Allan Caidic and Alvin Patrimonio, both sharing the distinction of being...
.
Robert Jaworski: The world's oldest professional basketball player and arguably the Philippines' most popular basketball player of all time. He represented the country in numerous international tournaments and is one of the last surviving Filipino basketball players to play in the FIBA World Championship
FIBA World Championship
The FIBA World Championship is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body...
and the Summer Olympics.
Samboy Lim: He represented the Philippines in the 1982 Asian Youth Championship and in the 1985–1986 FIBA Asia Championship. He was later named alongside Allan Caidic
Allan Caidic
Alan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
into the 1990 Asian Games
1990 Asian Games
The 11th Asian Games also known as XI Asiad were held from September 22, 1990 to October 7, 1990 in Beijing, China. It was the first large-scale international sports event to be held in the People's Republic of China. A total number of 6,122 athletes, coming from 37 countries, competed in 29 sports...
Mythical Five selection after leading the national team to the finals.
Carlos Loyzaga: Probably the greatest Filipino international basketball player of all time. He led the Philippines to four consecutive Asian Games gold medals and three Asian championship titles. His biggest achievement was leading the country to a third place finish and the bronze medal in the 1954 FIBA World Championship
1954 FIBA World Championship
The 1954 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 22 to November 5, 1954...
, the best finish by an Asian country in the history of the quadrennial tournament. He was later named into the all-tournament Mythical Five selection after finishing third leading scorer of that year's tournament. In 1960, he and Carlos Badion
Carlos Badion
Carlos Velasco Badion is a former Filipino basketball player. Although born in Pampanga, he grew up in Antonio Rivera Tondo, Manila where he started his checkered career playing in sandlot tournaments and for Abad Santos High...
were named at the Asian Basketball Confederation Mythical Five Selection after leading the Philippines to the first ever Asian championship crown.
Ambrosio Padilla: One of the greatest Filipino basketball players of the pre-World War II era. He played for the Philippines in the Far Eastern Games
Far Eastern Championship Games
The Far Eastern Championship Games was a small Asian multi-sport competition considered to be a precursor to the Asian Games....
before leading the country to a fifth place finish in the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
, the best finish by an Asian country in the history of the Summer Olympics men's basketball tournament.
Luis "Lou" Salvador: One of the offensive players in Philippine basketball history. Salvador played for the Philippines in several Far Eastern Games tournaments where, in 1923, he set an all-time record for the most points scored by a Filipino in a single international game with 116 points against China
China national basketball team
The Chinese men's national basketball team is the basketball team representing China in international competitions. The governing body of Chinese basketball operations is the Basketball Association of China...
to lead the Philippines to the gold medal. That record remains unbroken to this day.