The Philippines Chapter: Hoopjeep in the Holy Land of Basketball
2022 — a seed planted
In 2022, Nico, the founder of Hoopbus (HB), traveled to what is known as the Mecca of basketball: the Philippines. What he found was the purest form of love for the sport.
Basketball lived in the streets. Kids and adults played at all hours of the day—barefoot, on cracked pavement, using bent rims—with the biggest smiles you could imagine. The game wasn’t about money or highlights. It was joy. It was identity.
That trip sparked expansion.
“Its one thing to hear about Filipinos love for basketball and one thing to experience it- the amount of just pure love for the game was genuinely something I have never experienced. ”
April 2025 — The HoopJeep Is Born
With the help of Estelito Fajardo, owner of Milwaukee Motors in Manila and a lifelong Bucks fan, the HoopJeep was built from the ground up and inspired by the iconic Jeepney, public transportation locals ride for less than a dollar. Four hoops. Karaoke. A second Level. The Jeepney was a moving court. A symbol of access.
May 2025 — The hoopjeep hits the road
Pocholo “Cholo” Baltazar and Clyde Russel took to the road beginning with a core part of the HB Philippines mission- the Hoop Doctor program
Cholo hails from Antipolo and acts as a hoop doc and bus driver. Clyde is from Tagaytay and brings his expertise coming from a family of Jeepney drivers.
Five days a week, they respond to DMs, word-of-mouth, and community requests. Broken rim? Bent backboard? The HoopJeep drove to them any time, anywhere . To date, they’ve fixed or upgraded over 40 rims, often installing new backboards made from scrap wood.
In just eight months, the HoopJeep hosted 120+ events, knitting themselves into the culture.
Basketball Meets Community
The first HoopJeep event was a tryout hosted during the Dayo Tournament in partnership with the Jordan brand. Seven players were picked for the Philipppines Hoopbus team joining the pros to form a perfect harmony of polished play and streetball.
After that, the team worked with the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), local youth councils, to organize events in barangays (neighborhoods) across the Philippines — forging relationships with the community and thousands of kids.
Next, the team pivoted to the pavement. They renovated a court in Batangas, a city down south by the beach, bringing the Hoopbus heart to places outside of the city center.
Over 1,000 Hoopbus branded basketballs were given away in eight months making the iconic heart recognizable.
The center of Las Piñas Court
Entrance to Las Piñas court in Batangas, renovated in 2025
October 2025 — Social Responsibility at the Core
Hoopbus has always stood for more than basketball.
In October 2025, information surfaced that $206 million in government funds meant for critical flood relief and infrastructure development produced defective or non-existent outcomes. The public was outraged.
The HoopJeep drove toward the demonstrations just like the original Hoopbus did during US 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
Signs posted in the HoopJeep windows read “Dunk on Corruption” and “Dribble Out Corruption.” Megaphones amplified voices as stories were shared.
In a country marked by extreme wealth gaps and systemic corruption, the HoopJeep became both a “vehicle and a voice for the people.”
“We handed out water and interviewed people on why they were protesting. We were a vehicle and voice for the people. It was beautiful.”
Group gathered at a protest - October 2, 2025
Late October 2025 — First Philippines Tour
13 people, 9 stops, 5 days.
People from across the globe—France, U.S., Nigeria— and locals from the Philippines gathered for the inaugural HoopJeep tour.
At each stop, you could feel the energy. Stopped at a court, the team would install a rim on one side while a 3v3 game erupted on the other. Journal sessions took place on the sidelines inviting kids to write down their dreams. Q&A circles formed around pro players sharing their stories.
The message stayed the same: Respect your family. Apply yourself at school. Outwork everyone. You can do anything.
Hoopbus wasn’t just visiting communities, it was inspiring them.
“When they play, its a beautiful combination of just a real love for the game, but they’re also coming at you with every ounce of their soul.”
Fans at a Hoopbus event
2026: What’s Next
The HoopJeep isn’t staying in one place. With over 7,000 islands in the Philippines, the mission is to reach communities others can’t. Plans are already underway to bring the HoopJeep to islands hit hardest by typhoons.
Just 48 hours after the Hoopbus team left islands they had visited during the Tour, a typhoon struck and decimated many homes and washed away courts.
In January 2026, Hoopbus will travel to Cebu for a weeklong tour alongside the PUSO Foundation—meeting people where they are.
spotlight — A Moment of many
One day, the HoopJeep was stuck in Manila traffic—some of the worst in the world. People spend hours trying to get home.
Jordan climbed to the second level and started offering shots to people in traffic.
A Grab driver (similar to DoorDash) pulled up on his motorbike, shouting for the ball. Jordan tossed it to him. He took a few shots and when one dropped the man lit up with pure joy.
Jordan told him to keep the ball. The driver tucked it into the space where he normally carried food deliveries still smiling.
He makes about $15 a day driving in the heat, sweaty and exhausted. Stuck in traffic for a majority of the day basketball gave him a moment of joy.
That memory remained with Jordan. A shot of joy in the middle of the chaos.
Special thanks
Thank you Jordan and Gabe for your help telling this story.
Lots of gratitude for the HoopJeep team: Cholo (PH), Clyde (PH), Jordan (PH/US),The Reaper (PH), Pia (PH), Elvin (FR), Little Giant (FR), Bastian (FR), Fubara Whyte (NG), Gabe (US), and Hannah (US). Special shout out to Fubara’s cat!
Written by: Coco Barton