In local sports, the date April 9 also is special to hoops fans. A momentous occasion moment it was forty-six years ago on that day for it marked the birth of professional basketball in the Philippines.
There are various Basketball Hall of Fame sites here and abroad but not many know that there exists one for international basketball.
![Kai Sotto [FIBA.com photo]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/462-400x200.jpg)
Filipino international prospect Kai Sotto may be part of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, as well as future, Gilas Pilipinas roster according to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
![Ramon Fernandez [PSC photo]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ramon-fernandez2-400x200.jpg)
“It will be very difficult for us to get the slot in Belgrade. I will be the first to delight if we make it and I continue to hope for a triumphant campaign,” – Ramon Fernandez
Following the Philippines’ inclusion to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, San Miguel’s Chris Ross offered a suggestion for its preparation.
![Michael Joseph Nieto of the Philippines [photo: FIBA.com]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/image-2-400x200.jpg)
Gilas Pilipinas was chosen based on its FIBA ranking as the next best Asia-Oceania nation after New Zealand.
![The 1954 Nationals that won the bronze medal in the 1954 World tournament. [Henry Liao photo]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/144950691_774393143285027_3026363166572188338_n-400x200.jpg)
A dozen countries were in attendance in the 1954 edition – seven from the Americas, three from Europe and two from Asia, the Philippines and Formosa (Taiwan/now known as Chinese-Taipei).
![Kai Sotto [FIBA.com photo]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/4622-400x200.jpg)
Unlike Japeth Aguilar and Kobe Paras before him, Kai Sotto was not simply a walk-in, trying his luck in American basketball.
Young NBA stars Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and Trae Young were among those added to the Team USA pool for the Tokyo Olympics, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Professional 3×3 basketball player Marco Lehmann, 27, came out as gay in a beautifully-written piece on the FIBA website.
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