What kanto basketbol looks like around the world

by Ardelle Costuna

(christubbs-gallery.com)

 

In the recently concluded FIBA World Cup 2014 in Spain, the Gilas Pilipinas may have been booted out of contention in the group stages, but the country still received an award from the international basketball body: the Most Valuable Fans.

Of course, there is no other basketball fan like the Filipino. Despite lacking in height compared to other basketball nations, the sport is considered as a religion of some sort in the country, with followers transcending all generations.

And because of Filipinos’ fervent love of hoops, every kanto we pass by always has a makeshift basketball court composed of planks of wood with a metal ring hammered on a wall or on a tree. This recent ad by Nike sums up our passion for it quite well.

Slapping together boards and fashioning metal rings isn’t just limited to the Philippines, though. One man has embarked on a journey to take photos of basketball courts all over the world.

Chris Tubbs is a London-based photographer who began shooting basketball courts all over the world when he stumbled on an old sports stadium in Havana, Cuba. “It was clear that their facilities were not up to standard and they had to make do with basic facilities that had fallen into disrepair,” he told Slate.com in an interview.

“What I came across that day brought back the memories of past glories forgotten. These emotions are similar to those of our childhood memories of play that often remain intact and even exaggerated while the physical locations are lost or simply abandoned to time.”

His project has taken him to over 35 countries, and he’s photographed more than 400 basketball courts. His pictures are incredibly fascinating. He hasn’t been to the Philippines yet, but his photos give us a peak into the makeshift world of hoops from other countries.

Tubbs photos have shown that playing basketball is very much a global fraternity, similar to soccer. Kids everywhere, and not just Filipinos, will always find a way to shoot some hoops. See the rest of his work here.