FIBA World Cup trophy on display at Metro Manila venues

MANILA, Philippines – The coveted Naismith Trophy goes to Manila starting Saturday after stops in the Visayas and Mindanao as part of a nationwide tour before being 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 been in different tourism hotspots in the country since last week, and it’s not going anywhere until the games fire off on August 25 to September 10.

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

On Sunday, the luxurious trophy will be displayed in public at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium featuring Gilas Piipinas 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 in 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 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 in display at the EDC Wind Fram, Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, Suba Sand Dunes and Robinsons Place Ilocos Norte.

It will then return to Manila in time for the August 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.