FIBA Naismith Trophy returns to Manila after nationwide tour

MANILA, Philippines — The coveted Naismith Trophy will be in Manila starting today after stops in the Visayas and Mindanao as part of a nationwide tour before being put up for grabs among the 32 teams duking it out in the highly anticipated FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

With the Philippines serving as the main World Cup host, the prestigious Naismith Trophy has visited different tourism hotspots in the country since last week, and it’s not going anywhere until the games are held from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10.

The Naismith Trophy, named after basketball inventor James Naismith, will have stops today at the three playing venues – the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan; Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City and Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Tomorrow, the impressive trophy will be displayed in public at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium featuring Gilas Pilipinas ambassadors led by former national team player Larry Fonacier.

Also unveiled in front of the SM Mall of Asia is the transformation of the MOA Globe to a Ball of Asia, featuring a giant basketball inside the rim as an added attraction for fans and teams, who have already started arriving in the Philippines.

Fellow national team greats Jeff Chan and Gary David spearheaded the tour in Cebu earlier this week with stops at the Mactan Shrine, the majestic Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) – now the longest bridge in the country – Fort San Pedro and SM Seaside.

David joined two-time Best Point Guard in Asia Jayson Castro in leading the tour in Davao that also featured stops in People’s Park, Philippine Eagle Center, Malagos Chocolate Museum and SM Lanang Premier.

The Naismith Trophy will have its final stop up North in Ilocos Norte on Aug. 21 to 23. It will be on display at the EDC Wind Farm, Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, Suba Sand Dunes and Robinsons Place Ilocos Norte.

It will then return to Manila in time for the Aug. 25 opener featuring Gilas Pilipinas against the Dominican Republic at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena.

There, the Philippines will shoot for the new FIBA gate attendance record with hopes of breaching the 50,000 mark to surpass the record of 32,616 fans set in the 1994 World Cup in Toronto, Canada.

A total of 400 buses with multiple pick-up points in Manila, Bulacan and Pampanga have been hired by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to transport the fans and ensure the new record.