To say that 2023 was an eventful year for Philippine sports is an understatement. The country witnessed many great feats of national athletes in international tournaments, capped off by the country’s historic co-hosting of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, supported by Smart Communications, Inc.

In a country where basketball is revered, known to be the world’s home of makeshift courts, three Filipino gentlemen who either played hoops or cheered from the courtside, find themselves in the same corporate boardroom many years on strategizing their biggest coup yet: bringing over the world’s biggest basketball event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, to the Philippines.

The country’s largest fully integrated network PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) are powering this season’s Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL).

The COVID-19 pandemic may have put most sports leagues on hold, but PLDT and its wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) have not stopped in their goal to inspire nation-building through sports, particularly basketball—under the leadership of its top executives.

Home courts are breeding grounds for raw athletic talent and skill — something that UAAP stars Thirdy Ravena, Matt Nieto and Mike Nieto know all too well.