Gilas stays 31st in FIBA rankings

Gilas Pilipinas stayed at 31st place in the FIBA rankings. FIBA/Paul Ryan Tan (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Gilas Pilipinas did not move a notch in the latest FIBA rankings, which was revealed on Thursday night.

Gilas remained number 31 in the world despite a strong 2021 anchored upon a sweep of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers third window and a gallant stand in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Gilas also remains number six in the Asia-Pacific region and number one in Southeast Asia.

Interestingly enough, South Korea, which Gilas had beaten twice in the ACQ in Angeles, rose one rank to number 29.

On the other hand, USA remains the top men's basketball team in the world following its gold medal finish in the Tokyo Olympics.

Interestingly enough, Spain, despite getting eliminated in the quarterfinals, stayed at number two, while Australia, which finally won an Olympic medal in men's basketball, is still at number three.

Slovenia is among the biggest gainers, moving up by 12 spots to fourth overall even as France, fresh from taking the silver in the Olympics, moved up too to number five.

The FIBA rankings take into consideration a national team's performance for the past eight years in all competitions and on whether it was the host of a certain tournament or not.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno