Published February 27, 2021, 3:04 PM Photo from FIBA Sending the best team possible is something the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas will have to discuss with the PBA in the near future after Gilas Pilipinas was selected to replace New Zealand in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia. Gilas and its fans got a huge surprise Friday after FIBA announced the country’s inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics qualifier following New Zealand’s decision to pull out of the June 29-July 4 tournament due to a “spike in the number of high performance events and the costs of sending teams abroad.” The Philippines, which initially missed out of the OQT following its last-place finish in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China, got the slot by virtue of having the best world ranking among the countries from the Asia-Oceania region.