After hosting the biggest basketball competition in the world in 2023, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) added another milestone with the hosting of the e-FIBA Season 3 World Finals at the SMX Convention Center in Clark, Pampanga.
The event, which was presented by Predator and sponsored by Smart, PLDT, Red Bull, Laus Group, Cignal, MVP Sports Foundation, and Nike saw fierce competition in two days from the eight teams that qualified with Team USA winning the gold, Turkiye bagging silver, and Portugal completing the podium with the bronze medal. The World Final was also supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Office of Senator Bong Go.
Home team eGilas Pilipinas duplicated their fourth-place finish in Season 2 while Algeria, Brazil, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia completed the cast.
“Last year when we finished fourth, we started considering the idea of hosting the World Finals here,” said SBP President Al Panlilio. “After hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup last year, why not do it for e-FIBA as well.”
Panlilio, who is a member of the FIBA Central Board, chairs its e-FIBA Technical Working Group under Secretary General Andreas Zagklis.
“It’s been a part of the thrust of FIBA since the pandemic because
FIBA wanted to still have basketball competitions even though we had to practice social distancing during those times. With this move to also be present in e-sports, FIBA has shown agility and the willingness to innovate by using the latest technology. While we’re still growing basketball as a sport, FIBA also remains relevant to the times with this expansion online,” explained Panlilio. “From where we started, e-FIBA has grown so much. 61 countries competed this year and it’s only going to get bigger.”
“This was a chance to bring another platform of basketball closer to the Filipino people. To host this event in Pampanga is also very important to me as my ancestors are from Mexico, Pampanga. We at the SBP are very happy with the setup, the competition, and the turnout and even FIBA is very happy with the whole event.”
For his part, the FIBA Secretary General could only marvel at how quickly the sport has grown in three seasons.
“Compared to how we started, I must say we are delivering on the vision endorsed by the Central Board and some countries like the Philippines really took it to heart from the very beginning to make this succeed,” said Zagklis.
“I’m grateful to the SBP, to my colleague Mr. Panlilio, and his entire team because they have delivered an event that takes us to the next level.”
“We went from purely online events to an event that was part of a festival last year in Sweden. Now we have turned it into a standalone event with a fantastic platform for the players,” he added.
“That is very important for us because if we want to be attracting the best of the best in the world, the players must be at the center of events. And that’s what we delivered here. I think the performance of all teams was better than last year.”
The eFIBA Season 3 World Finals drew special guests from around the world as members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) witnessed the two-day competition.
“The IOC has a very clear agenda on e-sports as the Olympic E-Sports games have been approved. They will be held next year in Saudi Arabia,” explained Zagklis. “FIBA has been a partner since the beginning, as part of the IOC consultation process. I think it’s very positive that the IOC is here to see, simply because of the partnership of FIBA with NBA 2K for the FIBA competitions is seen as a very successful example for others to follow when it comes to simulation games. I think e-basketball should and would be part of the Olympic e-Sports games, so this is something to look into in the first months of 2025.”