[Editors' note: Beginning with this piece, we reveal SPIN.ph's choices for its yearend Sportsman of the Year awards, which is now on its 12th year]
HISTORY MAKER - Gilas Pilipinas
After a banner year in 2023, Gilas Pilipinas still outdid itself as it continued to rewrite the history books under the guidance of coach Tim Cone. The Philippine national basketball team achieved landmark conquests this 2024 - first with a monumental upset of world No. 6 Latvia in the 2024 Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga - the country's first victory over a European team in 64 years - and a massive breakthrough against New Zealand in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers, the Philippines' first triumph over the Tall Blacks in Fiba competition.

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