Wikipedia

AsiaBasket

(Redirected from FilBasket)

AsiaBasket is an Asian men's professional basketball competition series primarily based in the Philippines.

AsiaBasket
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2026 National Student Athletes Championship
SportBasketball
Founded2021; 5 years ago (2021)
FounderJai Reyes
First season2021 Subic Championship
CountryPhilippines
Indonesia
Malaysia
Brunei
Thailand
United States
Chinese Taipei
Canada
(all-time)
ContinentFIBA Asia
BroadcastersAsiaBasket (Facebook, YouTube)
Solar Sports
Official websiteasiabasket.org

Originally called the Filipino Basketball League (FilBasket), it initially began as a domestic basketball league. The league began inviting international teams in 2022, eventually leading to its renaming as AsiaBasket in 2023. Since the rebrand, AsiaBasket has shifted its focus away from professional clubs and a standard league format, leaning towards youth and collegiate teams.

History

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FilBasket era (2021–2022)

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FilBasket was established by former UAAP player Jai Reyes and Buddy Encarnado of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League's Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors in 2021.[1][2] It was founded as a means to provide a platform for basketball players whose careers were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. This includes players of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League which saw its 2019–20 season suspended and the succeeding 2021 season delayed due to COVID-19 measures. Hence, multiple MPBL teams joined the FilBasket tournaments as a way to continue playing competitive games, beginning a trend of MPBL teams taking part in other leagues during the off-season.[2]

The league went off to a bumpy start when its first tournament, the Subic Championship, ran into regulatory issues. Despite securing approval from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for a bubble tournament at the Subic Bay Gymnasium,[3][4] The tournament was disputed by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) regarding its amateur status, with the GAB contending that it is a professional league, and later issuing a cease and desist order.[5][6] Eventually, the GAB didn't pursue further legal action and FilBasket would subsequently begin the transition to professional status after sending a letter of intent to the GAB, which would be competed by February 2022.[7][8]

As FilBasket turned professional, the league began attracting the Asian basketball market with the 2022 Summer Championship, which ran from March until May 2022. The tournament featured the first international team: the Kuala Lumpur Aseel based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, being invited as a guest team.[9]

The following tournament would also be its first international tournament, the 2022 International Championship held in the latter part of 2022 in Malaysia.[10]

AsiaBasket era (2023–present)

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On March 3, 2023, FilBasket announced their renaming to AsiaBasket to accommodate with the expansion into the Asian basketball market. The first tournament under the AsiaBasket name was the 2023 International Championship, which also took place in Malaysia in April 2023.[11] The tournament also marked a change of focus for the league, as it was the first tournament to feature teams from the collegiate level. Later tournaments would also include youth teams from other countries focused on Filipino-foreigner players, such as the United States' Statham Academy and United Prep Canada.

In 2025, the league hosted its first all-collegiate tournament, the 2025 AsiaBasket College Campus Tour, which would later evolve into the National Student Athletes Championship from 2026 onwards.[12]

Recurring tournaments

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While most tournaments revolve around the hosting of a single city or province, there are a number of recurring tournaments.

International Championship

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The International Championship has been held annually since 2022 and is the only tournament where teams from outside the Philippines are invited to participate. The first two iterations of the tournament were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but has since moved to the Philippines from 2024 onwards. The tournament has been known as the International Invitational since 2025.

National Student Athletes Championship

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The National Student Athletes Championship is AsiaBasket's all-collegiate tournament. The tournament uses the home-and-away format of older FilBasket tournaments in that games are held across multiple college venues. The first iteration of this tournament was held in 2025 as the College Campus Tour before rebranding to NSAC in 2026.

Results

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FilBasket era

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Tournament HostTeams FinalsBattle for third Ref.
ChampionsScoreRunner-up Third placeScoreFourth place
Subic 2021 Subic 11 AICC Manila2–1
(series)		San Juan Knights Davao Occidental TigersN/aPasig Sta. Lucia Realtors [13]
Summer 2022 Greater Manila Area[a] 12 Nueva Ecija Capitals2–1
(series)		San Juan Knights Tanduay Rum MastersN/aAll-Star Bacolod Ballers [14]
International 2022 Kuala Lumpur 10 Harimau Malaysia87–68Kuala Lumpur Aseel Pilipinas Aguilas81–72MBC

AsiaBasket era

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Tournament HostTeams FinalsBattle for third Ref.
ChampionsScoreRunner-up Third placeScoreFourth place
International 2023 Kuala Lumpur 10 Kuala Lumpur Aseel83–72San Beda Red Lions Harimau Malaysia93–84Benilde Blazers [15]
Las Piñas 2023 Las Piñas 10 Ateneo Blue Eagles60–57Benilde Blazers Sanzar Pharmaceuticals95–88Corsa Tires [16]
Dasmariñas 2023 Dasmariñas 10 Benilde Blazers105–86Statham Academy MisOr Mustangs106–104Shawarma Shack Pilipinas
Cebu 2024 Toledo Tournament cancelled
International 2024 Taguig 10 NU Bulldogs73–64Adamson Soaring Falcons Benilde Blazers84–77FEU Tamaraws
College Campus Tour 2025 Metro Manila[b] 14 De La Salle Green Archers89–77Ateneo Blue Eagles NU Bulldogs77–75San Beda Red Lions [17]
International 2025 San Juan 8 Adamson Soaring Falcons68–63UST Growling Tigers Letran Knights20–0[c]San Beda Red Lions
NSAC 2026 Metro Manila[d] 16 [to be determined]

Notes

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  1. ↑ The 2022 Summer Championship was co-hosted by three cities: Muntinlupa, Quezon City, and San Jose del Monte.
  2. ↑ The 2025 College Campus Tour was co-hosted by three cities: Las Piñas, Manila, and Quezon City.
  3. ↑ The game was forfeited in favor of Letran due to scheduling conflicts on San Beda's side.
  4. ↑ The 2026 National Student Athletes Championship will co-hosted by three cities: Las Piñas, Manila, and Quezon City.

References

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  1. ↑ Joble, Rey (October 29, 2021). "Why FilBasket insists it is an amateur league". Manila Times. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Joble, Rey (August 11, 2021). "Sta. Lucia joins FilBasket League". The Manila Times. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  3. ↑ Reyes, Kate (July 22, 2021). "Jai Reyes to formally open FilBasket this August". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  4. ↑ Rosale, Dale (October 27, 2021). "FilBasket kicks off Thursday". Cebu Daily News. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ Navarro, June (November 23, 2021). "GAB issues cease and desist order vs Filbasket". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  6. ↑ Ramos, Gerry (January 14, 2022). "GAB fires warning after Filbasket's maiden tournament ruled 'unlawful'". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  7. ↑ Li, Matthew (February 22, 2022). "Filbasket, Super League begin process of turning pro". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ Ramos, Gerry (February 23, 2022). "Filbasket eyeing March 15 opener for first tourney as pro league". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  9. ↑ Li, Matthew (May 8, 2022). "Filbasket: Palma lifts Nueva Ecija to Summer Championship". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  10. ↑ Terrado, Reuben (October 23, 2022). "Three Pinoy teams to play in FilBasket Int'l Championship in KL". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  11. ↑ Morales, Luisa (March 10, 2023). "Filbasket expands, rebrands into AsiaBasket". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  12. ↑ Ganglani, Naveen (March 28, 2026). "Asiabasket NSAC 2026 Goes Campus-Wide". All-Star Magazine. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Manila fends off San Juan in do-or-die to claim Filbasket title". RAPPLER. November 22, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Nueva Ecija outlasts San Juan in OT to clinch Filbasket crown". ABS-CBN News. May 9, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Louie Sangalang tows KL past San Beda in AsiaBasket Final". Tiebreaker Times. April 19, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Ian Espinosa lifts Ateneo past Benilde, rules Asiabasket Las Pinas". Tiebreaker Times. July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  17. ↑ Li, Matthew (May 11, 2025). "La Salle dominates Ateneo at Moro for Asiabasket title". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
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