New Filipino basketball league a slam dunk in Prince George, B.C.

The inaugural year for a new Filipino basketball league has just wrapped in Prince George, B.C., after providing a space for diaspora players from across the region to get together for sports and culture.

Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines, with people like Erik Dilao growing up with dreams of the NBA.

"We were playing without shoes, without basketball nets," he said.

"We'd use anything round in shape. We'd use coconuts sometimes."

Now living in northern B.C., he helped form the Filipino Basketball League (FBL), with players from across the region gathering every Saturday in Prince George's Connaught Youth Centre.

More than 174,000 people in B.C. identify as Filipino, according to the 2021 census, with roughly three-quarters of them born in the Philippines. 

In Prince George, just under 1,500 people identified as Filipino, about one per cent of the overall population.

The league saw roughly 150 players, volunteers and fans gathering for five hours of games between 10 teams every week.

Some teams were named after communities in the region, such as Quesnel and Williams Lake, while others have traditional names like Thunderbird and the PG Hoopers.

The league's champion, crowned Dec. 14 after two days of playoffs, was Team Burger — whose uniform featured a burger, fries and pop.

Many of the players in the FBL are relatively recent arrivals to Canada, coming for work or education.

The weekly games were a way for them to connect not just with the game they love, but the culture they grew up with, yelling out plays in Tagalog in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

"In Canada, we are here to work — but this is a good opportunity to just leave the work, for now, just focus on the game and enjoy it," says Amor