One of the more shocking news for Philippine sports in 2018 was not a story to be proud of. The Gilas basketball team made headlines all over the world after a brawl spawned for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers in Bocaue Bulacan. Four Australian players and nine Filipino players were suspended, Philippines head coach Chot Reyes and assistant coach Jong Uichico were sanctioned, while the Australian and Philippine national federations were fined by FIBA. The match was eventually abandoned in the third quarter with Australia winning by default due to lack of eligible Filipino players.[
Meanwhile, the national associations from both countries, the PBA and BA, issued a joint apology suggesting the "actions displayed have no place on any basketball court" and have accepted responsibility while promising "to do everything in our power to prevent this from happening again".
