As part of its commitment to bring the global basketball experience closer to Filipinos, mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) welcomes the prestigious FIBA Asia Cup trophy to Manila.
A prelude to the upcoming games in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 12 to 24, 2022, the FIBA Asia Cup trophy will be touring several countries for the first time ever, to help promote the love and excitement for basketball in the region.
Unveiled during the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 Draw ceremony in Beirut, the trophy stands 55 centimeters high and is almost entirely made of silver, and features a silver-plated band engraved with the trophy name.
Smart top executives including Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Wireless Business and incoming President and CEO of Mediaquest Jane J. Basas, Head of Sports Jude H. Turcuato, and Chief Commercial Advisor Noel C. Lorenzana along with FIBA Executive Communications Manager for Asia Hovsep Seraydarian marked the trophy’s visit to the PLDT headquarters in Makati City.
Present also in the event are Gilas Pilipinas young guns SJ Belangel and Ange Kouame, who played big roles in the team’s amazing play in the Clark bubble last year to qualify for the upcoming tournament.
Filipino fans will also get the chance to see it up close in the Smart store at the SM Mall of Asia on Thursday, May 26, from 5:30 pm onwards.
“Following the FIBA World Cup trophy tour last February, this is another opportunity for Filipino basketball fans to experience having another prestigious icon up close,” said Jude H. Turcuato, FVP and Head of Sports at PLDT and Smart. “Gilas Pilipinas also had a great run to qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup, and we hope to inspire them as they prepare to play for the trophy in July.”
Smart is a global partner of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. The global event will be jointly hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 will hold its final phase here in the Philippines in August next year.
Basketball fans can catch the games through the GigaPlay App, available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
GigaPlay is powered by Smart, the country’s fastest 5G mobile network, as reported by Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband network intelligence.
To download GigaPlay, click smrt.ph/gigaplay
