Philippine News

WASHINGTON, December 29 ------ Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo made a triumphant return from an eight-game NBA injury layoff while San Antonio's win streak was ended at eight games by the Utah Jazz. Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 25 minutes to lead the Bucks in a 112-103 victory at Chicago, snapping the Bulls' five-game win streak. The 31-year-old Greek star, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, made 10-of-15 shots from the floor and 8-of-10 fr

MANILA, Philippines, December 29 ------ Prime prospect Kenneth Llover extended his rampage in the bantamweight division, while Johnriel Casimero started his climb back to relevance as they both won via knockout at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan. The unbeaten Llover scored a second-round knockout of Ayati Sailike to handily retain his Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation crown. Touted to become the next Filipino world champion, Llover first dropped Sailike with a combinat

December 28 ------ The Philippines may have fallen short of surpassing its 58-gold medal haul from Cambodia in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, but the 33rd edition in Thailand still offered shining moments that give Philippine sports fans plenty to look forward to. Among the most exciting developments was the emergence of young Filipinas who thrived under the bright lights of Southeast Asia’s premier sporting stage. By winning gold in their respective events, they gave a glim

MANILA, Philippines, December 28 ------ Three Premier Volleyball League superstars will make a much-awaited return to their respective mother clubs after their tour of duty with the national team. Jia de Guzman and Bernadeth Pons should be back with the Creamline Cool Smashers, and Sisi Rondina with the Choco Mucho Flying Titans when the PVL All-Filipino Conference unfolds Jan. 30. De Guzman was originally scheduled to return to Creamline in the Reinforced Conference but even

NEW YORK, United States, December 27 ------ Reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder have the NBA's best record, but they can't find a way to defeat San Antonio, with superstar Victor Wembanyama coming off the bench to help lift the Spurs to an emphatic 117-102 victory. De'Aaron Fox scored a game-high 29 points while Wembanyama had 19 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes and guard Stephon Castle added 19 points for the Spurs. After roaring to a 24-1 start, the Thunder have dr

MANILA, Philippines, December 27 ------ It seems the Gilas Pilipinas-Australia matchup will not be the only FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers matchup that will be held at the Mall of Asia on March 1, 2026. The qualifier game between China and Chinese Taipei is also set in the Philippines, a match schedule from the FIBA website bared. The game, according to the FIBA schedule as of December 24 of this year, will be played at the Mall of Asia Arena Arena at 4 p.m on March 1 next y

December 26 ------ San Miguel is through to the next round of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup. The Beermen took down an upset-seeking NLEX side, 101-94, to make it to the semifinals of the all-Filipino tourney on Christmas Day at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. This marked the powerhouse squad's 10th win in a row after starting the tournament with two straight losses. June Mar Fajardo and Don Trollano took turns in powering San Miguel, as the nine-time PBA MVP stuffed t

December 26 ------ Alexandra “Alex” Eala is set to face Mirra Andreeva at the Macau Tennis Masters this weekend in Macau. The 18-year-old Andreeva is currently ranked world No. 9 and has captured two WTA titles this year — the Dubai Tennis Championships in February and the Indian Wells Open in March, both WTA 1000 events. The Russian star will take on Eala in the women’s singles match on Sunday, according to the event's website. Eala will also compete in the mixed doubles eve

December 26 ------ The Philippine women’s football team is hoping that its breakthrough gold medal win in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games could be used as a springboard to put together a stirring performance in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in March. The continental tournament set to be played in Australia will serve as a qualifier for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup, and coach Mark Torcaso is confident the Filipinas can get themselves in a good position to qualify, given their re

December 26 ------ The Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao bout happened probably five years too late. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua still haven’t fought. Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani are ready to square off now in what would be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. No posturing, just two top pound-for-pound boxers in their prime seemingly willing to give fans what they want. Here’s the catch: They each have one more fight and need to avoid a surprise before their e

December 25 ------ AS expected, the country’s top sports officials called the Southeast Asia Games campaign in Thailand a success. They said they were “happy” with the results even if we did not surpass the previous Games’ edition in gold medal output and the country actually slid from fifth place overall to sixth. If Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino can call that performance “very successful,” as SPIN.ph reported, we have to wonder when the P

December 25 ------ LA Tenorio’s stint as playing-coach could stretch all the way to the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals - or how deep the Hotshots can get into the playoffs. The injury that plaqued the Hotshots’ backcourt prompted the team to activate Tenorio from the injury list in a desperate bid to steady the Magnolia ship as it goes for a twice-to-beat spot in the first round of the playoffs. And this isn't just a one-off. The 41-year-old Tenorio admitted veteran guard P

December 24 ------ Jaylen Brown tossed in a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds to help the Boston Celtics overcome a 20-point deficit and defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 103-95. Indiana, which led by 20 early in the third quarter, was held to 34 points in the second half and 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White and a game-high 11 rebounds from rookie Hugo Gonzalez. Pascal Siakam tallied 25 points for Indiana and Andrew

MANILA, Philippines, December 24 ------ The cast is complete and it’s gonna be a calm before a fiery storm hits Smart Araneta Coliseum on Christmas Day to reveal the presents and fates of the featured teams in the PBA Season 50 quarterfinals. There will be no love on the court from the four teams of reigning champion San Miguel, NLEX, Converge and crowd darling Barangay Ginebra when they tangle in the first quarterfinal bracket to continue the PBA tradition during Holidays an

BANGKOK, Thailand, December 23 ------ Team Philippines collected 50 golds, 73 silvers, and 154 bronzes for a total of 277 medals as the 2025 Southeast Asian Games came to a close. Following a tight battle for the fifth spot with Malaysia and Singapore, the Philippines eventually finished sixth in the race for the overall championship expectedly dominated by host Thailand, which captured a SEA Games record of 233 golds to go with 154 silvers and 112 bronzes. Victories in bask

December 23 ------ Ginebra flipped the switch in the second half and turned back the upset-seeking Titan Ultra, 108-105, for a rousing finish entering the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinal at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. The Kings were already out of contention for a top-four finish following TNT’s 94-83 victory over Magnolia earlier, but that didn’t stop them from taking care of business against the Giant Risers to end the eliminations with five wins in a row. After t

LOS ANGELES, United States, December 23 ------ Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 47 points as the New York Knicks toppled the Miami Heat, 132-125. Star point guard Brunson also managed eight assists and three rebounds, in his highest-scoring performance ever at the Knicks' Madison Square Garden home. The in-form New York team's eighth win in nine games improves its record to 20-8 in the Eastern Conference, where it sits second behind the Detroit Pistons. That hot streak incl

MANILA, Philippines, December 23 ------ Chezka Centeno’s bid for a breakthrough WPA World Women’s 9-Ball crown came to a crashing end after falling to Russia Kristina Tkach, 0-4, 4-3, 4-3, 4-1, in the quarterfinals in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a heartbreaking result for the 26-year-old Zamboanga City native, who was hoping to add another world crown after claiming a second 10-ball title in Bali, Indonesia last October. It wasn’t a bad year for Centeno overall, though, as

MANILA, December 22 ------ The East Asia Super League (EASL) will be the official qualifier to the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia), FIBA’s flagship continental competition featuring Asia’s strongest teams. The historic step strengthens EASL’s position at the core of elite East Asian basketball, further integrating the league into FIBA’s global competition framework and recognizing the standard of play, professionalism and competitive excellence showcased throughou

December 22 ------ VETERAN Vic Manuel is bound for a PBA comeback after signing what he referred to as a short-term contract with Converge. “Oo, pumirma na ako,” Manuel confirmed to SPIN.ph after practicing with the FiberXers. The 37-year-old forward earlier teased basketball fans on social media when he posted his Converge uniform bearing his old jersey No. 87. The ‘Muscle Man’ last played for Terrafirma in the Season 49 Governors’ Cup before his contract expired last Februa