MANILA, Philippines — Mighty Sports Philippines dethroned Lebanon’s Al Riyadi, 92-81, to win the 31st Dubai International Basketball Championship on Sunday, 02 February 2020, at Shabab Al-Ahli Club in United Arab Emirates.
Mighty Sports made history after taking down the defending champion to become the first non-Middle Eastern club to win the Dubai International Basketball Championship.
Renaldo Balkman, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, had a monstrous performance after scoring 25 points and nine rebounds for the Philippine Team.
Former NBA player Andray Blatche provided support with his all around performance of 21 markers and 10 boards, while Kiefer Ravena registered six points and two assists as they completed a seven game sweep of the tournament.
On the other hand, Michael Efevberha led Al Riyadi with 26 points and five rebounds, while Dwayne Jackson also scored 20 in a losing effort for the Lebanese club.
Mighty Philippines has now won three tourney titles in a span of four years after winning the Jones Cup in Taiwan in 2016 and 2019.