MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas may have had a tumultuous stint in the 2019 Fiba World Cup, but that didn’t stop Valenzuela City from still honoring the national basketball team.
A mural, painted in a half-court in Pio Valenzuela, features Gilas veterans Gabe Norwood and Jimmy Alapag, the team’s two captains in 2014 and 2019.
Representative Eric Martinez spearheaded project which comes off as a morale booster for Gilas Pilipinas after it went 0-5 and finished dead last in the Fiba World Cup.
Written on the mural are the statements “Laban Pilipinas, Puso!” which was Gilas’ battle cry and “Para sa Bayang Magiliw! Duyan ka ng Magiting” which are lyrics in the Philippines’ national anthem Lupang Hinirang.
Norwood’s finest moment in 2014, when he posterized Argentina’s Luis Scola, was painted on the mural along with Alapag’s likeness shooting one of the memorable three-pointers against Korea in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship.