THERE were two significant victories in basketball that happened in the 1990s. These events were entirely unrelated, and their scope of relevance also varied immensely. The first was the win by the Philippine team in the Southeast Asian Games. The other is the San Antonio Spurs winning the1997 NBA Draft lottery.

In 1991, the Philippines won the gold medal in men's basketball at the SEA Games. This was the first 'redeem team' for the Philippines after the country relinquished the gold medal in the previous staging of the biennial meet.