Basketball legend Seo Jang-hoon steps back onto the court as a basketball team coach.
SBS's 'Passionate Basketball Team' is not just a variety show, but a global project on a 'national team level.' Seo Jang-hoon will become the coach and form a celebrity basketball team to compete in an international friendly match against a celebrity basketball team representing the Philippines. The venue is not a gymnasium, but the Mall of Asia Arena, the largest indoor stadium in Asia, located in Manila, Philippines.
Seo Jang-hoon will appear as the coach within the program, leading domestic celebrity members while executing detailed strategies and overseeing practical training. His passion for basketball, as well as the process filled with laughter and emotion, will be revealed through SBS's variety show. The highlight will be a face-off against the celebrity basketball team in the Philippines. This match, which will serve as a bridge for Korean-Philippine sports culture beyond mere exchanges, is already capturing the attention of the industry and fans due to its symbolic significance and public interest.
Mall of Asia Arena? "A world stage where BLACKPINK and BTS have performed"
The Mall of Asia Arena (MOA Arena), where this game will take place, is one of the representative landmarks of the Philippines, featuring a massive capacity of about 15,000 seats. It is a space that is not merely a gymnasium, but a venue for K-pop artists' world tour performances, international sports events, and world-class e-sports finals, serving as the pride of the Philippines.
Top K-pop stars like BLACKPINK, BTS, and EXO have performed here, thrilling local fans, and the Korean national team has only played on this 'dream stage' a few times, making the significance of this project even greater.
Philippines, 'basketball is a religion'... a basketball powerhouse with courts on every street
The Philippines is a country where basketball is both a lifestyle and a culture. The passion for basketball is fervent among people of all ages, and there are basketball courts scattered throughout the streets. Ranked just after the U.S., the Philippines is known as the second most popular country for the NBA, highlighting the unique love the Filipino people have for basketball.
In particular, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) boasts a long history and fandom as Asia's first professional basketball league, attracting millions of spectators each year. This friendly match between the Korean and Philippine celebrities is expected to serve as an important milestone showcasing the potential for global expansion of K-basketball content through exchange with a basketball powerhouse.
SBS variety show attempts a new fusion of K-basketball and Hallyu content
SBS is planning this project not just as a sports variety show, but as content aimed at cultural exchange and sports diplomacy, as well as global fandom. It is testing the potential as a complex genre where celebrities and sports, along with Hallyu and local culture, blend, and is distinctly differentiated from existing basketball variety shows in terms of scale and planning.
A program official noted, "The fact that Seo Jang-hoon, a symbol of K-basketball, is forming a team with celebrities to play in a world-class venue in the basketball-loving Philippines adds significant symbolic and public interest," and added, "We expect that this program will help K-basketball transcend being a mere sport to become a cultural content."
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