Gilas Pilipinas Men will play a tune-up match against the Macau Black Bears on July 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as part of their preparations for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
The game will also serve as the team’s official send-off before they fly to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Gilas is grouped with New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and Iraq in the first round of the tournament.
Facing the Black Bears — who will feature local talent from Macau, mixed-heritage players, and imports — will provide head coach Tim Cone and his squad valuable in-game experience ahead of the competition.
“Playing tune-up games before Gilas dives into the FIBA Asia Cup will only help the team out,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio.
“Not only does the team get to face quality opposition, but it also gives our Gilas fans a chance to come together and send the team off before they head to Saudi Arabia. With a short preparation window—since many of our players just came off the Philippine Cup semifinals—the SBP felt it was important to schedule this tune-up game locally,” he added.
The Macau Black Bears are no strangers to playing against national teams. In fact, they pulled off a stunning 83–78 win over the Chinese national team in a friendly last year.
“They beat the Chinese national team. They’re really strong. They’ve got quality imports. It could be a very interesting friendly for us,” said Cone.
Founded in 2017, the Black Bears originally competed in the ASEAN Basketball League under the name Chong Son Kung Fu. They now play in the East Asia Super League and The Asian Tournament, led by head coach Garrett Kelly.
Gilas Pilipinas will field its full lineup against the Black Bears, except for Kai Sotto, who continues to recover from an ACL injury. The team is determined to improve on its ninth-place finish in the previous edition of the FIBA Asia Cup.
Tickets to the Gilas vs. Macau Black Bears game are now available via TicketNet.
