Breaking into the country’s sports scene isn’t easy, but ANTA Philippines knows that making an impact in basketball will be a good way to make it known to the public.

ANTA Philippines general manager John Paul Paglinawan believes that forging a partnership with leagues like the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a good way to challenge the stronghold of giant Nike in Philippine sports.

The PBA, the top professional basketball league in the country, and the MPBL struck multiple-year partnerships with ANTA.

With that, ANTA products are now being worn by the players of TNT, Rain or Shine and Magnolia.

“About our nationwide expansion, we chose to partner with the PBA to legitimize ANTA,” said Paglinawan, an Ateneo de Manila University alum.

“The top two leagues connected with ANTA. So, it helped us to legitimize ANTA as a basketball brand.”

“It’s not an overnight process, but that’s ANTA’s goal.”

Getting MPBL on board was a smooth deal since the league founder, Senator Manny Pacquiao, has been an ANTA endorser since 2016.

Paglinawan noted that Pacquiao’s role as a global ambassador significantly aided the partnership.

“We wanted to support him as a global ambassador before ANTA. It also helped us expand to the provinces,” he added.

However, Paglinawan knows that exposure alone isn’t enough if the product lacks quality. Drawing from his experience working for a German sports brand from 2002 to 2008, he emphasized the importance of having a high-quality product.

“Number one, you have a good product that is high quality, and number two, it helps the customers,” said Paglinawan, who also operates Ready Steady Go Kids International in the Philippines as it promotes physical fitness to children.

“My experience with the previous company helped me become more exposed to how a product is designed, marketed, and how it helps the customer.”

ANTA’s journey to its current position has been gradual.

In 2022, the Chinese sports giant signed fencer Maxine Esteban, back when she was still representing the Philippines in various international tournaments.

Despite joining Ivory Coast due to a rift with the Philippine Fencing Association, Esteban renewed her contract with ANTA Philippines in 2024 as she prepares for the Paris Olympics.

“We’ve been with Maxine for a long time. We didn’t want to stop supporting her just because she won’t be representing the Philippines anymore,” Paglinawan said.

“We still share the same values and hope she can get a medal in the Olympics.”

In 2022, as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournaments reopened with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, the “ANTA Varsity Project” marked its entry into the collegiate scene by outfitting a select number of schools, starting with Adamson University.

Paglinawan noted that the Falcons’ belief in the partnership played a crucial role.

“Adamson was our first team ever. When we did their throwback uniform, everyone noticed, which sparked more interest from other schools,” Paglinawan said.

This partnership paid off as the Soaring Falcons made it to the Final Four in UAAP Season 85.

After partnering with ANTA, College of Saint Benilde reached the final of NCAA Season 98 before losing to Letran College in a best-of-three championship series.

Meanwhile, San Beda University won its 23rd NCAA title in Season 99, beating Mapua University in the finals wearing the ANTA brand.

Additionally, Strong Group Athletics (SGA) wore ANTA uniforms during the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship last January, a deal facilitated by Paglinawan’s fellow Blue Eagles in head coach Charles Tiu and team manager Jacob Lao.

“We help each other out,” Paglinawan said.

ANTA is also looking to break into volleyball, having partnered with Cignal in the Premier Volleyball League.

But Paglinawan admitted that there is a challenge of promoting without specific volleyball products.

“We’re learning because we don’t have products for volleyball. So, it’s hard to promote when there’s no product,” Paglinawan said.

“We want to tie it with what we have offered in the stores.”

Paglinawan stressed that making deals is just the beginning as building strong bonds with clients after the dotted line is signed is crucial.

“Short-term deals usually don’t work out. You always want to have a long-term partnership. Six months or one year is too short to achieve much,” Paglinawan said.

“It has to be long-term, growing, and improving year on year. Short-term deals are just quick money, but in the long run, they won’t benefit you.”

Yes, ANTA may be new to the Philippine market but with its aggressive approach and solid strategy, success is definitely not far behind.

ANTA may still be a David in a market full of Goliaths but it is ready to compete one slingshot at a time.