MANILA, Philippines – NBA 3X Philippines 2013 presented by Sprite tipped off 3 p.m. July 26 at the Music Hall of the SM Mall of Asia with the Indiana Pacemates setting the tone of the three-day tournament with high-energy sparks and a fun attitude.
NBA players James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Eric Gordon of the New Orleans Pelicans lent their star presence to the event alongside the Pacemates and Grizz, the Memphis Grizzlies team mascot.
Carlo Singson, NBA Country Manager to the Philippines Asia, lauded the enthusiasm accorded NBA 3X by local streetballers and Pinoy basketball fans and thanked partners for helping spread the NBA 3X experience to the islands. He also said the Philippines is one of 14 countries experiencing NBA 3X this year. The first NBA 3X in Southeast Asia was launched in Manila in 2011.
NBA 3X Philippines 2013 presented by Sprite features a 3-on-3 tournament that provides players with an opportunity to hone their skills and compete amongst their peers. Following the success of Pinoy streetballers Kobe Paras, Thirdy Ravena, Arvin Tolentino and Rashleigh Rivero in the recent FIBA Asia U18 3-on-3 championships, this faster, shorter and more intense basketball format is gaining unprecedented popularity in the country and around the world.
The seven divisions in the tournament include the boys’ U13 (10-12 years old), U16 (13-15 years old), U18 (16-17 years old) and Open Division (18 years old and above), the girls’ U16 (13-15 years old), U18 (16-17 years old) and Open Category (18 years old and above) plus a Celebrity Division which will feature media and entertainment personalities.
Some of the celebrities who will play 3-on-3 basketball on Sunday, July 28 are Rovilson Fernandez, Marco Alcaraz, Ervic Vijandre, Bobby Yan, Young JV, Mark Zambrano, Jace Flores and JC Tiuseco, running guru Rio de la Cruz (Run Rio) and TV sports casters Dominic Uy, Jason Webb, Richard del Rosario, Mico Halili, TJ Manotoc, Marco Benitez and Charles Tiu.
Adding to the excitement of the event, division winners will be entered into a special raffle whereby one lucky team will come away with four (4) tickets to NBA Global Games Philippines 2013 — the first-ever NBA preseason game in the Philippines — between the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers at the Mall of Asia Arena on October 10.
Also, the winning team for the boys U18 division at NBA 3X Philippines 2013 presented by Sprite will automatically receive a slot to participate in the adidas D Rose Tour series of events on September 15-16, including the D Rose Tour 3-on-3 Grand Finals. The players will be given adidas apparel and D Rose footwear as part of their participation in the D Rose Tour 3-on-3 Grand Finals.
Free fan activities at NBA 3X Philippines 2013 presented by Sprite include: the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest; the Sprite Basketball Clinic; the KFC Bucket 3-Point Shootout; the Phoenix Fast Feet Challenge; NBA 3X Half Time, and more. NBA Stars James Harden and Eric Gordon will share their basketball talent with young players, while the Indiana Pacers dance team – the Indiana Pacemates – and Grizz, the Memphis Grizzlies Mascot will add even more excitement to the event. The full event activities schedule can be found below and on the official NBA 3X Philippines 2013 presented by Sprite event website at www.nba3x.com/philippines.
Registration began in June on a first come first serve basis and ran until July 12, 2013. This year, besides the usual registration locations, an NBA 3X Jeepney plied city routes and visited schools to invite registrants and make it easier for them to register in the tournament.
Along with presenting partner Sprite, official partners of NBA 3X Philippines 2013 include adidas, KFC and Phoenix Petroleum. Official NBA broadcasters are SOLARtv Network Incorporated (Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV) and Studio 23. X-Play Online Games Inc. (X-Play) and PhilStar.com will act as official media partners, while Spalding, SM Mall of Asia and SM Cinemas will act as supporting partners.
All participants of the NBA 3X Philippines 2013 presented by Sprite will receive a jersey and NBA sling bag. There will also be prizes for the winner of each division.
NBA 3X is being conducted in 14 countries outside of the US this summer, including the Philippines.
For more information on NBA 3X Philippines 2013 presented by Sprite, log on to www.nba3x.com/philippines. Fans can also get updates on the event by following the NBA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nba_philippines and through Facebook at www.facebook.com/nba3xasia and www.facebook.com/philsnba.
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