For most Filipinos, basketball is not just a sport. With a court in almost every kanto, it’s a national pastime that unites us as a nation.
So it comes as no surprise that the National Basketball Association decided to strengthen their local presence by opening an office in the Philippines. The NBA office in Taguig is expected to assist in the operations of the New York headquarters.
“Here in the Philippines we have seen an explosive growth. We have a lot of initiatives done here. [But] to get to the next level we needed people on the ground. It required us to be here on a permanent basis. The Philippines is one of our biggest markets in the world. We have grown significantly here. We are among the top revenue earners for the NBA,” said NBA Philippines managing director Carlo Singson in a Businessworld report.
The Manila office is the first in the Southeast Asian region.
Mr. Singson said that it is “making it more exciting to be a fan of the league.”
We can expect more players to come visit the country. If we’re lucky, maybe they’ll stage a game here as well.
The Philippines also hosts the first NBA café outside the US. There are currently three NBA stores in the country.
