The Tall Blacks' Long Game With Asia

The Tall Blacks and the Philippines' Gilas Pilipinas meet again tomorrow night  - this time at Spark Arena in Auckland, in the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers. For a rivalry that barely existed a decade ago, it has become one of the most consistently dramatic fixtures on New Zealand basketball's calendar.

The qualifying pool tells the story. New Zealand sits in Group A alongside Australia, the Philippines, and Guam. Australia is the recognised favourite, Philippines is a dangerous side with a fanatical fan base, and Guam looks to be the clear underdog. Losses to Australia opened the campaign for the Tall Blacks and every game against the Philippines and Guam is a vital one.

That pressure showed in February, when New Zealand travelled to Manila for the second qualifying window. Playing in front of a raucous crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena, the Tall Blacks nearly let an 11-point lead evaporate in the final minutes before holding on, 69-66. Max Darling top-scored with 11 points, Sam Mennenga posted a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds, and the defence focussed on containing Philippines sharpshooter Justin Brownlee, limiting him to just four points - reportedly his lowest output in any FIBA competition. It was New Zealand's third straight win over the Philippines, and the seventh in eight meetings overall.

But that single loss in November 2024 hangs heavy. In front of more than 11,000 fans at the same Manila arena, the Philippines beat New Zealand for the first time ever in a major FIBA competition - a 93-89 upset powered by the 7-foot-3 star Kai Sotto, who put up 19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. The Philippines dearly want a repeat of that performance, despite Sotto being out with an ACL injury.

Friday's game in Auckland opens the third qualifying window, with both teams in the mix for the group's three qualifying spot. Neither can afford to treat the game as a formality – the Gilas have shown they're capable of the shock result, and home advantage hasn't always been decisive either way.

Beyond the Philippines tie, New Zealand's road through Asia continues against Guam, a far more one-sided affair, before the qualifiers narrow toward the 2027 World Cup itself. But it's the Philippines fixture that has become the emotional centre of the campaign — two basketball-mad, comparatively small nations, sharing a rivalry that neither can currently afford to lose, and neither has managed to fully put away.

For a New Zealand audience more used to watching the Tall Blacks getting dealt to by Australia, the Philippines series is a reminder that the country's most competitive basketball rivalry now runs through Asia.

Asia Media Centre