AsiaBasket is an Asian men's professional basketball competition series primarily based in the Philippines.
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
FilBasket era (2021–2022) 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. 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.
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, 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. 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.
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.
The following tournament would also be its first international tournament, the 2022 International Championship held in the latter part of 2022 in Malaysia.
AsiaBasket era (2023–present) 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. 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.
Recurring tournaments While most tournaments revolve around the hosting of a single city or province, there are a number of recurring tournaments.
International Championship 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 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
FilBasket era Tournament Host Teams Finals Battle for third Ref. Champions Score Runner-up Third place Score Fourth place Subic 2021 Subic 11 AICC Manila 2–1 (series) San Juan Knights Davao Occidental Tigers Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors Summer 2022 Greater Manila Area 12 Nueva Ecija Capitals 2–1 (series) San Juan Knights Tanduay Rum Masters All-Star Bacolod Ballers International 2022 Kuala Lumpur 10 Harimau Malaysia 87–68 Kuala Lumpur Aseel Pilipinas Aguilas 81–72 MBC
AsiaBasket era Tournament Host Teams Finals Battle for third Ref. Champions Score Runner-up Third place Score Fourth place International 2023 Kuala Lumpur 10 Kuala Lumpur Aseel 83–72 San Beda Red Lions Harimau Malaysia 93–84 Benilde Blazers Las Piñas 2023 Las Piñas 10 Ateneo Blue Eagles 60–57 Benilde Blazers Sanzar Pharmaceuticals 95–88 Corsa Tires Dasmariñas 2023 Dasmariñas 10 Benilde Blazers 105–86 Statham Academy MisOr Mustangs 106–104 Shawarma Shack Pilipinas Cebu 2024 Toledo colspan=7 International 2024 Taguig 10 NU Bulldogs 73–64 Adamson Soaring Falcons Benilde Blazers 84–77 FEU Tamaraws College Campus Tour 2025 Metro Manila 14 De La Salle Green Archers 89–77 Ateneo Blue Eagles NU Bulldogs 77–75 San Beda Red Lions International 2025 San Juan 8 Adamson Soaring Falcons 68–63 UST Growling Tigers Letran Knights 20–0 San Beda Red Lions NSAC 2026 Metro Manila 16 UST Growling Tigers 95–84 NU Bulldogs De La Salle Green Archers 78–61 San Beda Red Lions NSAC World Invitational 2026 Pasig 8 Fighting Eagles Nagoya 92–91 UST Growling Tigers San Beda Red Lions 70–69 JRU Heavy Bombers
Notes
References