Seven overseas teams set to grace 2023 NBTC Championship

Dubai Patriots, representing the Middle East in the NBTC

The premier grassroots tournament in the country is set to have a foreign infusion once again.

The NBTC will have seven teams from six different countries for its 2023 tournament, which is tentatively slotted for April at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

These overseas entries are an offshoot of the Global Games, which took place in Canada, the United States, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Dubai from July until November of this year.

Canada is the lone nation sending multiple teams, after PBA Manitoba and Toronto bested five other squads.

Team United will represent the United States after topping their three-day tournament.

Rome Elite topped the eight-team European leg, Crusaders beat six other teams in Australia, and Dubai Patriots five others in the Middle East.

Completing the foreign cast of the thirteenth season of the NBTC is Pinoy Mavs representing New Zealand.

NBTC Program Director Eric Altamirano shares, "This is another step forward in our efforts to go back to grassroots basketball for all Filipinos all over the world. This is a good sign that Filipino talent abroad continues to do well."

He adds, "Hopefully, this is just the start for the NBTC Global Games. Moving forward, we want more teams to join their respective tournaments, and even more countries to organize their own Global Games."

In recent years, the introduction of overseas-based squads allowed the basketball world in the Philippines to discover outstanding talents of Filipino ancestry based abroad, the most notable of which being Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets, and Kihei Clark of the University of Virginia. It also has served as a pathway for these players to be recruited in the local collegiate leagues, with the likes of Kai Ballungay and Matthew Daves of Ateneo and James Canlas of San Beda.

The 2023 edition of the NBTC National Championship will be a historic one as well, with club teams now also permitted to participate instead of just being a school-based competition. Said sides are required to present proof of age and nationality in order to be eligible.