Sometimes you need to shake things up in order to level up.
This year’s FIBA World Cup has benefited from that mantra, as the federation chose to have three different countries hosting the global hoops summit for the first time ever. The action has been pulsating as usual. Stunning upsets took place, excellent basketball is being displayed, and the game has gone global like never before.
Perhaps it’s the unprecedented turnout that really underscored the 2023 edition’s ongoing success. For one, the Philippines broke the FIBA World Cup attendance record with 38,115 fans marching to the Philippine Arena during opening day. On Monday, FIBA World Cup executive director David Crocker explained what the massive feat truly means.
“There’s been a lot of those [memorable] moments. And not just here in Manila, it’s also been in Okinawa, it’s been in Jakarta,” Crocker said on One Sports' The Game.
The FIBA head also made sure to acknowledge the efforts of the volunteers.
“It’s actually the emotion of all the volunteers. As we pack out Araneta [Coliseum], we move to the final phase, in all three countries, I’m seeing all the messages between each other of how proud they are of what they delivered, the magic they created,” said Crocker. “I get emotional watching all these messages."
Of course, he had to mention the huge crowds that have been loading up the playing venues, especially in Manila.
“It’s one of the measures. You put this on so the fans can come out and enjoy. You want to invite as many people as you can to be a part of this,” Crocker added.
The biggest turnout at the Big Dome was the 12,784 basketball heads that came for the game between Gilas Pilipinas and Angola. Clearly, filling up the seats hasn’t been a problem. Another barometer that FIBA is putting value in is the treatment that the participants have been getting. According to Crocker, the Asian hosts have been doing great in that department as well.
“One of the critical ones for us is how the players enjoy the experience. That’s actually the number 1 measure for us,” said the FIBA chief.
“This has been unbelievable. We’re getting great feedback from the athletes. Our commission head Dirk Nowitzki has been giving great feedback on behalf of the players so this is a job exceptionally well done,” he elaborated.
That being said, the job is not yet finished. The FIBA World Cup quarterfinals begins later today.
Catch Lithuania versus Serbia then USA versus Italy on One Sports, One Sports+ or through the Pilipinas Live app.