FilBasket era (2021–2022) FilBasket was established by former
UAAP player
Jai Reyes and Buddy Encarnado of the
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League's
Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors in 2021. It was founded as a means to provide a platform for basketball players whose careers were disrupted by the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. This includes players of the
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League which saw its
2019–20 season suspended and the succeeding
2021 season delayed due to COVID-19 measures. Hence, multiple MPBL teams joined the FilBasket tournaments as a way to continue playing competitive games, beginning a trend of MPBL teams taking part in other leagues during the off-season. The tournament was
disputed by the
Games and Amusements Board (GAB) regarding its amateur status, with the GAB contending that it is a professional league, and later issuing a
cease and desist order. Eventually, the GAB didn't pursue further legal action and FilBasket would subsequently begin the transition to professional status after sending a letter of intent to the GAB, which would be competed by February 2022. As FilBasket turned professional, the league began attracting the Asian basketball market with the
2022 Summer Championship, which ran from March until May 2022. The tournament featured the first international team: the Kuala Lumpur Aseel based in
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, being invited as a guest team. The following tournament would also be its first international tournament, the
2022 International Championship held in the latter part of 2022 in Malaysia.
AsiaBasket era (2023–present) On March 3, 2023, FilBasket announced their renaming to AsiaBasket to accommodate with the expansion into the Asian basketball market. The first tournament under the
AsiaBasket name was the
2023 International Championship, which also took place in
Malaysia in April 2023. The tournament also marked a change of focus for the league, as it was the first tournament to feature teams from the collegiate level. Later tournaments would also include youth teams from other countries focused on Filipino-foreigner players, such as the United States' Statham Academy and United Prep Canada. In 2025, the league hosted its first all-collegiate tournament, the
2025 AsiaBasket College Campus Tour, which would later evolve into the National Student Athletes Championship from 2026 onwards. == Teams ==