Gilas taps Phillips for FIBA qualifiers

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Mike Phillips is finally in the Gilas Pilipinas pool.

Four months after FIBA reclassified the former La Salle standout as a local player, Phillips has been tapped for the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, set for July 3–6, 2026.

Phillips is in line for his FIBA qualifying debut as Gilas deals with the absence of Kai Sotto and Quentin Millora-Brown in the upcoming window.

Sotto is set to fly to Las Vegas to participate in the 2026 NBA Summer League, while Millora-Brown is still recovering from a back injury.

With a banged-up frontcourt, Gilas will need Phillips’ energy and motor alongside June Mar Fajardo, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, and AJ Edu.

Gilas enters the next window with a 2-2 record in Group A, behind Australia at 4-0 and New Zealand at 2-2.

The Philippines swept Guam in the first phase but failed to sustain its momentum against New Zealand and Australia.

The July window will send Gilas to New Zealand on July 3 before a road game against Australia in Perth on July 6.

Gilas is competing in a tough Group A with Australia, New Zealand, and Guam, with the top three teams advancing to the second round.

Phillips previously made his Gilas Pilipinas debut in 2023, helping the Philippines win the men’s basketball gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Despite being a newcomer to the national team program, Phillips immediately turned heads with a plus-28 efficiency rating, capped by an energetic performance in the gold medal game against Cambodia.

Phillips recently helped the De La Salle University Green Archers win the UAAP men’s basketball championship and was named Finals Most Valuable Player after posting 25 points and 18 rebounds against the University of the Philippines.

Phillips is currently playing for the San Juan Knights in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, where he is averaging 9.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game.