Philippines eFIBA team ready to shine in exhibition matches at Olympic Esports Week 2023

Clark Banzon grew up wanting to be a professional basketball player. He could handle the rock as well as anyone he played with on the courts of Bacoor, a city in the Philippine province of Cavite, but one roadblock prevented him from chasing that dream. His height.

"I'm only 5 feet 8 inches (1.73m) tall," he said with a laugh, but that didn't deter him from finding a different way to dedicate his life to the sport. "I just wanted my life to revolve around basketball."

Banzon, who turned 30 in 2023, decided to pursue his love for the game by competing in NBA 2K, a series of sports simulation games that have provided the premiere version of digital basketball since 1999. He found some success in online tournaments and kept training until he became one of the best players in the Philippines.

The point guard joins five other players – from two of the top NBA 2K teams in the country – in a 5v5 exhibition series against other countries, including Turkey and Brazil, at the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore on June 23. The national squad, dubbed the E-Gilas, earned an invitation after hoisting the first place trophy in the inaugural eFIBA Southeast Asia tournament earlier this year.

"Basketball is the biggest thing in the Philippines," said E-Gilas strong forward Julian Mallillin. "It's what keeps everyone busy. It keeps everyone together. It keeps everyone happy. That's why a lot of people play basketball here."

Playing basketball in NBA2K as compared to in real life

Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines. It's been around for more than a century, with the Philippines national team finishing fifth in the 1936 Olympic Games. The country's love for the game has only grown as Filipino players have made their way to professional leagues in Japan, Europe, and Australia over the last few years.

It's no mystery why a passionate pocket of competitors from Bacoor to Quezon City have found their way to NBA 2K. While most major in-person competitions for the game take place in the United States, coach Nite Alparas and team have found plenty of success in online and regional tournaments throughout Asia.

Mallillin played basketball nearly everyday in Las Piñas City before the pandemic sent his friends and family into lockdown in 2020. That's when he fell in love with NBA 2K and decided to put just as much effort on the virtual court as he does on the maple one.

"In my opinion it's almost the same thing," Mallillin said. "But since it's a video game there is more focus on your mental ability. But outside that it's the same thing. You have to work just as hard to perform well."

NBA 2K's simulation of basketball isn't perfect, though, so Mallillin has found ways to be a little flashier than he would be while playing the real thing.

"You wouldn't do a double spin in real life," Mallillin. "But somehow that works in 2K."

The E-Gilas testing themselves against global opposition

While players that fill the ranks of E-Gilas have an impressive resume of accolades, they've had few chances to face off against teams from outside of Asia. That's why this series of matches at the Olympic Esports Week is so important to them.

"It's a big opportunity for us," Alparas said. "We have been hoping to have a LAN event for so long. We want to play against other teams from Europe and the United States. We want to gauge what level of play we're at in terms of our ability to win games."

All three members of the team believe that they – and many other teams throughout Asia – don't get nearly as much respect as they should. The opportunity to play against the top dogs in the United States has never presented itself, but every member of E-Gilas believes they can go toe-to-toe with any team in the world. The tournament at the Olympic Esports Week will be their chance to begin backing up that belief.

"We've been wanting this for the past four years," Alparas said. "It could be the start of something bigger."