Philippine streetball gets the spotlight with DAYO23 Invitational

MANILA, Philippines — For a basketball-crazy country like the Philippines, there has never been a shortage of hoops culture.

And among the most recognizable images of Philippine basketball is that of the everyday barangay courts, thousands of which are found throughout the country — from the busy streets of Metro Manila to the quiet provincial towns in far flung areas.

This weekend, the Filipino’s every day brand of basketball — aptly called streetball — takes center stage with an action-packed two-day tournament.

DAYO23 Streetball Invitational, a pocket tournament organized by Titan and the Jordan Brand, will feature eight men’s and six women’s teams from May 18 to 19.

Players hailing from different parts of the country like Davao and Cebu, as well as nearby cities and provinces in the Metro like Laguna and Rizal, will duke it out in the invitation-only competition to rule the courts in Barangay 830 in Paco, Manila.

Notable names competing are Philippine basketball icon Dondon Hontiveros, former Gilas Pilipinas women’s players Allana Lim and Raiza Palmera-Dy, and La Salle product Marga Jimenez.

Green Archers legend Renren Ritualo will also be leading one of the men’s teams, Team San Juan, from the sidelines.

The tournament will have a unique format with homage to Michael Jordan’s jersey number 23 — as games will be a race to 23 points, or will be decided on whoever scores more in a span of 23 minutes.

But the finals, both for men’s and women’s, will not have a game clock and will only be a race to 23. Points will be similar to the 3x3 format, in 1s, and 2s, and not 2s and 3s.

More information on the tournament, including how to watch the action live in Paco and on livestream, can be viewed on the tournament page here.

Official DAYO23 merchandise from Titan is also set to drop Wednesday, May 15.