In the basketball-crazed Philippines, the World Cup will be a shining moment
Associated Press
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FILE - Filipino boys play basketball in floodwaters from a swollen creek at a coastal village in Malabon, north of Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)Players run on a court painted with JIP, the FIBA Basketball World Cup mascot, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Taguig city Philippines. Unlike other parts of Asia, where baseball or soccer can reign supreme, basketball stands alone in the Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)Residents play basketball in a coastal village Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Batangas province, Philippines. Considering that about 110 million people live in the Philippines, its not feasible to expect that they all would be basketball fans. But its close, said Tim Cone, the countrys top professional coach. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)Residents play basketball in a coastal village Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Batangas province, Philippines. Legend says that American teachers brought basketball to the Philippines for the first time around the turn of the 20th century, and it immediately took off. Basketballs World Cup starts on Friday, Aug. 25, spread out over three nations. The Philippines, Japan and Indonesia all will be hosts. Itll be centered in Manila. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)Residents play basketball in a coastal village Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Batangas province, Philippines. It is the No. 1 sport in the country and you can't definitively say that about basketball in the United States or anywhere else, said Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, an assistant coach on the U.S. team this summer and a national hero in the Philippines his mother is Filipina. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)People play basketball in front of a wall painted with JIP, the FIBA Basketball World Cup mascot, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Taguig city Philippines. Basketball is a passion in the Philippines, and that might be putting it lightly. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)People play basketball on a court painted with the FIBA Basketball World Cup theme Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Taguig city Philippines. Basketball's World Cup starts on Friday, Aug. 25. Basketball is a passion in the Philippines, and that might be putting it lightly. There are about 25,000 indoor courts in the country, countless outdoor courts they're everywhere, with rims even fashioned out of barbed wire in some places. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)A man plays basketball in front of a wall painted with JIP, the FIBA Basketball World Cup mascot, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Taguig city Philippines. Basketballs World Cup starts on Friday, Aug. 25, spread out over three nations. The Philippines, Japan and Indonesia all will be hosts. Itll be centered in Manila. The home nation has declared Friday a national holiday of sorts, closing schools and some businesses to mark the occasion of the tournament opening. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)A vehicle passes a giant FIBA Basketball World Cup themed display near one of the venues at the Mall of Asia Arena Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Pasay city Philippines. Basketball's World Cup starts on Friday, Aug. 25, spread out over three nations the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. It'll be centered in Manila. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)People play basketball in front of a wall painted with Jordan Clarkson, a Filipino-American NBA player for the Utah Jazz, on a FIBA Basketball World Cup themed court Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Taguig city Philippines. Basketball's World Cup starts on Friday, spread out over three nations the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. It'll be centered in Manila. Fans have been waiting for years for this chance at seeing some of the game's biggest names competing in their city. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)FILE - A street vendors shows basketball jerseys Saturday, June 5, 2010, in Manila's Divisoria shopping district, Philippines. Considering 110 million people live in the Philippines, its not feasible that they all would be basketball fans. But its close, said Tim Cone, the countrys winningest coach. (AP Photo/Pat Roque, File)Players shadows are reflected on a court painted with the FIBA Basketball World Cup theme Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Taguig city Philippines. Basketball's World Cup starts on Friday, Aug. 25, spread out over three nations the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. It'll be centered in Manila. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)A vehicle passes by a giant FIBA Basketball World Cup themed display near one of the venues at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Pasay city Philippines. Basketball's World Cup starts on Friday, Aug. 25, spread out over three nations the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. It'll be centered in Manila. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)FILE - Boys plays beside images of former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant at the "House of Kobe" basketball court in Valenzuela, north of Manila, Philippines, Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. Basketball's World Cup starts on Friday, spread out over three nations the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. It'll be centered in Manila. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)FILE - Artists put the finishing touches on a giant mural of former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna at a basketball court in Taguig, south of Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. Considering 110 million people live in the Philippines, its not feasible that they all would be basketball fans. But its close, said Tim Cone, the countrys winningest coach. He might not be wrong. The island nation has basketball courts everywhere, an incredible passion for the NBA and now gets to showcase Manila as the centerpiece of the Basketball World Cup. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)FILE - Philippines' Kiefer Ravena, center, drives past Lebanon's Hayk Gyokchyan during their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers game at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines on Friday Feb. 24, 2023. Basketball's World Cup starts on Friday, spread out over three nations the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. It'll be centered in Manila. There's an effort to get at least 32,617 fans to the Philippines' first game in the tournament and break the World Cup attendance record set at Toronto in 1994. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
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FILE - Filipino boys play basketball in floodwaters from a swollen creek at a coastal village in Malabon, north of Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)