The Vivo HoopBattle Championship Philippines presented by ABS-CBN Sports, Ayala Malls, Inc., and Vivo Philippines continues on Sunday with more 3×3 squads from the 48-team field seeing action this time at the TriNoma Activity Center.
Action in the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas-sanctioned tournament blasted off last Sunday at the Glorietta Activity Center with 12 teams facing off namely Team Ballers, Metro Star Realty, Pio Makati, Arellano University 1, Mamba Army MNL, Team Downtown, New Born: St. Claire College, Bigshot Burger, Glorietta, Zion, Turbo, and Team 3WC. Emerging on top in the leg were Team Ballers, composed of Team B players from the Ateneo Blue Eagles, and Metro Star Realty, which is powered by players from the developmental league.
On Sunday, F4, Alphas, D’Engineers, California Supreme, Fuego Heneral, Bulacan Hoopers, Spartans, Radiant Hoops, Ballerz, Team Mommy Kate, BS Susim Shipping, and Team 3WA will get to showcase their 3×3 wizardry in the competition.
The tournament will go to South Park in Alabang on July 15 and at Fairview Terraces Mall on July 22. The top two teams per elimination leg will advance to the Finals round on July 29 at Market! Market!, which will air live on ABS-CBN S+A. ABS-CBN S+A will also air updates on the tournament on its daily sports newscast “The Score.”
Some of the players to look out for are the likes of Gilas Pilipinas cadet Prince Rivero, rising star Encho Serrano, UAAP star Chibueze Ikeh, Alab Pilipinas member JR Alabanza and several Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League players.
Ayala Malls Synergies Inc. and ABS-CBN Sports, together with Vivo, have teamed up to bring China’s widely-popular HoopBattle Championship 3×3 in the Philippines to provide Filipino teams from all walks of life an opportunity to shine in the 3×3 arena. It will be played under the strict guidelines of FIBA.
The top two teams will not only receive cash prizes but will also get an all-expense paid trip to China in October to compete in the HBC Final to against teams from China, where larger cash prizes are at stake. HBC started in China from 2015 with the vision to highlight the best upcoming talents of basketball in the country. With its rising popularity, HBC has quickly expanded to Beijing,Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Chengdu, Kunming, Foshan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
The Vivo HoopBattle Championship Philippines is the first HBC event outside China. The tournament was brought to the country because of basketball’s popularity in the Philippines. For more information and stories, visit ABS-CBN’s sports hub sports.abs-cbn.com and follow @ABSCBNSports on Facebook and Twitter.