After making their debut in 2021 with a bubble tournament in Subic, the up-and-coming Filipino basketball league known as Filbasket is now gearing up to take on the international stage.
Founded and headed by former professional hooper, Jai Reyes, the Filbasket International Championship – Malaysia 2022 is taking place from October 23 to 30 right in the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. This marks the league’s third official competition.
In Malaysia, squads from other nations across Southeast Asia will make up the ten-team field of the tournament. The Philippines will have three teams flying to compete, namely the BGC Builders, Pilipinas Aguilas, and Makabayan Warriors.
International Flavor
In Filbasket’s previous tournament, the 2022 Summer Championship, Malaysian club KL Aseel impressed on Philippine courts when they made it to the quarterfinals against the other local teams. Now, as the tournament moves to Kuala Lumpur, they will get their chance to enjoy hometown support.
Other Malaysian teams also set to compete in the tournament include Harimau Malaysia and MBC Basketball Club.
Apart from them, other clubs across Southeast Asia will also be competing in the International Championship. In total, ten teams will make up the competitive field, also including teams from Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei.
The Filbasket International Championship will kick off in a round-robin, with all the teams randomly split into two groups of five. From October 23 to 27, four games will be held per day. Following the opening round, the top two teams from each group will move on to the semifinals.
The semifinals will take place on October 29, followed by a third-place game. And finally, on October 30, the two final teams will compete for the championship.
In addition to all this basketball action already, teams will definitely be getting their fill of competing throughout the entire week. All those teams who will be unable to make it to the semis will be playing friendlies instead.
“We want Filbasket to have a truly international flavor. Over the summer we saw how KL Aseel really made a great impact on our league. Now with the addition of the other countries we expect a really fun and competitive week for basketball fans from all over Southeast Asia,” Filbasket founder and CEO Jai Reyes shares.
The games will all be streamed live on Filbasket’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Game Tickets are available online on TNTCO’s website. Tickets can also be purchased at the MABA Stadium during Game Days.
Make sure to follow Filbasket on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more updates.