2025 SEA Games to Enforce FIBA Eligibility Rules

The 2025 Southeast Asian Games basketball tournament will adopt FIBA eligibility rules, limiting each country to just one naturalized player, according to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

SBP executive director Erika Dy confirmed the development during the SBP National Congress on Friday, citing a circular from host country Thailand.

“For the SEA Games, it’s going to be tough especially because we received the circular last week from the host and they will be strict on FIBA rules,” Dy said.

“This means unlike past SEA Games where we can have an Ange Kouame and Justin Brownlee in the same team, that’s no longer going to happen,” she added.

In previous editions of the SEA Games, eligibility rules were more lenient, allowing teams to field multiple naturalized players and players with passports, regardless of FIBA guidelines.

Thailand’s enforcement of FIBA standards marks a major shift in regional competition, which will impact roster-building strategies across the region.

Dy said SBP has not yet finalized its lineup plans and continues to evaluate the best approach to form a competitive team under the new restrictions.

“We have no concrete plans yet. There’s a lot of suggestions and kailangan lang talaga pag-aralan ng mabuti ano ‘yung best way to form a more formidable team,” Dy said.

The scheduling of the SEA Games, set for December 9 to 20, poses additional challenges due to its overlap with major collegiate tournaments like the UAAP and NCAA.

Dy noted that unlike previous years, both collegiate leagues now finish in December, reducing availability of top local talent.

“In the past, UAAP would start in July and end in September. You would have the best players from the UAAP and NCAA play in the SEA Games,” she said.

“But that is a challenge now because both leagues end in December. They start later in the year,” Dy explained.

Additionally, Filipino players in international leagues such as Japan’s B.League and South Korea’s KBL must obtain permission from their clubs to participate, as the SEA Games do not fall within an official FIBA window.

“Mahirap talaga siya. Pero I’m confident na magagawa natin yung paraan,” Dy said.

She added that collaborative efforts among stakeholders will be key to overcoming the obstacles and fielding a strong national squad.

“Especially with stakeholder meetings like this where we put all our heads together and we put our personal interests aside for the country,” she said.

The basketball tournament remains one of the most anticipated events of the SEA Games, with the Philippines historically dominant in men’s competition.