PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. continues to support the development of basketball in the country with the successful run of the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) League, the country’s premiere grassroots basketball program.
“This is aligned with our commitment to support sports and its role in nation-building by backing tournaments that give young athletes the opportunity to showcase their skills and passion for a sport that is well-loved by Filipinos,” said Jude Turcuato, FVP and Head of Sports at PLDT and Smart.
Besting 68 grassroots teams, Fil-Am Nation Select and Top Flight Sports Canada emerged as champions of the National Finals Division 1 and 2 respectively. NBTC featured the best-of-the-best Filipino high school basketball stars from top-ranking local and international teams through a series of tournaments nationwide and streamed live for free on the Smart Livestream App. The games also garnered over 5.1 million streams on the Smart Sports Facebook and YouTube pages combined.
“Smart continues to elevate the experience of basketball fans from different walks of life by bringing sports tournaments closer to Filipinos through the Smart Livestream App, whether at home or on the go,” said Kristine A. Go, SVP for Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.
Prominent names like Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, Gilas Pilipinas center Kai Sotto, Kamaka Hepa, Kihei Clark, Jeron Artest, and Kai Ballungay all competed in the NBTC in previous years. This time around, top high school players Jared Bahay and Kieffer Alas made their mark in the competition.
“We are glad to have the support of Smart in helping young Filipino ballers from all over the world cultivate their love for basketball through the NBTC. We hope that through this league, we can continue inspiring them to become the best athletes that they can be, representing their teams and the country, wherever they may be,” said NBTC Program Director Eric Altamirano.
Aside from the tournaments, which spanned from January until March, NBTC also held a Coaches’ Convention, featuring noteworthy mentors and coaches like Anthony Pangilinan, Noli Ayo, LA Mumar, Willy Wilson, Russel Raypon, Alex Compton, Cholo Villanueva, Norman Black, Topex Robinson, and Nenad Vucinic. The NBTC also featured an All-Star Game to encourage sportsmanship and inspire friendly competition among the Philippines’ best high school players.
Smart Livestream App is powered by Smart, which delivers the Philippines’ Best 5G Coverage and Best 5G Availability, according to independent analytics firm Opensignal. Smart’s initiatives to offer relevant mobile data services and platforms to Filipinos are aligned with the PLDT Group’s endeavors to narrow the digital divide and provide connectivity to all, supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) particularly on SDG No. 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. These also reinforce PLDT Group’s support for the Government’s overall digitalization thrust.