NBA legend Gary Payton to grace opening of NBA store in Cebu City

CEBU, Philippines - The National Basketball Association has announced that the fourth NBA Store in the Philippines will open November 24 at the Ayala Center in Cebu City. 

NBA Legend and Hall of Famer Gary Payton will be on hand to meet and interact with fans at the store opening, which will celebrate the league’s first NBA Store in the Visayas region.  To commemorate the occasion, the first 300 customers that purchase an item will receive an NBA gift.

Located on the fourth level of the Ayala Center in 452 square meters of retail space and managed by International Athletic Trading Company, Inc. (IATC), the new NBA Store will offer a wide selection of authentic NBA products from all 30 teams, including official jerseys, footwear, performance gear, lifestyle apparel, and non-apparel merchandise including basketballs, toys, collectibles, and more.  The store will also offer personalized jerseys and will feature interactive elements including NBA 2K video game players where fans test their gaming skills and compete against each other, a Pop-a-Shot machine and a dedicated section for NBA memorabilia.

“We had envisioned expanding the NBA footprint across the country and to have now reached the Visayas region is a milestone for us,” said IATC President and CEO Melvin Lloyd Lim.  “We could not be more excited to open the first NBA Store in the second most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines after Metro Manila.”

“The NBA and IATC are committed to bringing the NBA experience closer to all Filipinos nationwide,” said NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson.  “The NBA Store in Cebu is the first outside of Metro Manila and is strategically positioned as a premier shopping destination for NBA fans within Central and Southern Philippines, offering an extensive range of authentic NBA products.”

The NBA Store at the Ayala Center will carry products from brands including 2K Sports, adidas, Enterbay, Mitchell & Ness, New Era, Nike, Panini, Spalding, Spec Seats, Stance, and Under Armour.  The regular store hours are 10 am - 9 pm (Sunday-Thursday) and 10 am - 10 pm (Friday-Saturday).

The flagship NBA Store in the Philippines in Glorietta 3 opened in 2014, followed by the store in Mega Fashion Hall in 2015 and the store in TriNoma in 2016. (FREEMAN)