BEIRUT (Lebanon) – Saudi Arabian ex-international and Jeddah’s very own star player Ali Al Maghrabi has been named as the ambassador for FIBA Asia Cup 2025 to be played in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) from Aug 5-17, 2025.
“It’s an exciting moment that Asia’s best basketball competition is coming to my hometown Jeddah,” Al Maghrabi said.
“It is a great honour and a privilege for me to be associated with the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 as its ambassador,” he added.
“Basketball has given me everything in my life. And the city of Jeddah has always supported my career. It is time for me to return in whatever way I can to the sport and city that has made me what I am today."
I call upon all youngsters in whole Saudi Arabia, not only Jeddah, to get associated with the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in whatever way they can and support the sport of basketball. The least they can do is to come to the games in large numbers.
“It is an opportunity for the basketball world to see what a beautiful city my hometown Jeddah is. And it is a great opportunity for my home town to witness the best players and teams in action right in front of their eyes. I think this is one of the most exciting moments of my career in basketball and life in Jeddah,” the 49-year-old said.
Ali Al Maghrabi cut his teeth in international basketball, incidentally, when Saudi Arabia last hosted the FIBA Asia Cup in 1997. The home team went on to enter the Semi-Finals before finishing a creditable fourth in front of their home fans.
That stint only was the beginning of Al Maghrabi’s stellar showing personally as well as for the Saudi National Team.
In the very same year, Maghrabi played a crucial role in leading Saudi Arabia to a third-place finish at the now-discontinued FIBA Asia Under 21 Championship in Shanghai (Japan) where he was named to the Tournament’s All Star Five.
But the best showing of his career came two years later – at the 1999 FIBA Asia Cup in Fukuoka (Japan).
Al Maghrabi was at the forefront of his team’s campaign as Saudi Arabia won four of their six games heading to the Semi-Finals for the second time in a row, before falling to Korea. But unlike two years earlier, the Gulf nation kept their focus in the third-place play-off and beat Chinese Taipei for Saudi Arabia’s highest ever finish in FIBA Asia’s flagship competition.
“The FIBA Asia Cup was the platform that launched my career and opened up a multitude of opportunities. Therefore, my memories of FIBA Asia Cup are fond and cherished. I do hope that FIBA Asia Cup 2025 will provide a launch pad for many more youngsters, who will shine bright in the future.
“I call upon all youngsters in whole Saudi Arabia, not only Jeddah, to get associated with the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in whatever way they can and support the sport of basketball. The least they can do is to come to the games in large numbers.”
FIBA