Preliminary talks started on a positive note as Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Willie Marcial and board governor Alfrancis Chua met with Hong Kong Eastern chairman Frankie Yau and basketball team manager Oliver Lee to discuss a possible tie-up in the Commissioner’s Cup next season.
According to the initial plan, Hong Kong Eastern and Singapore Slingers will see action in the import-flavored conference, similar to the set-up last year in which Barangay Ginebra faced the Bay Area Dragons in a memorable finale that drew a record crowd of 54,589.
Aside from Yau and Lee, EASL chief executive officer Henry Kerins and EASL Philippine head Banjo Albano were also in attendance in a luncheon meeting at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel on Thursday.
Chua said he will brief the PBA board on what was discussed while Marcial tapped PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro to join a task force with Wong, Lee and Albano to iron out details of an agreement.
Wong said Hong Kong Eastern plays with a single import of unlimited height and the PBA is likely to adopt a similar rule for the Commissioner’s Cup.
Marcial said critical in the negotiations is the logistics of scheduling.
The league’s first conference — the Governors’ Cup — is set to begin on 18 August and scheduled to end on 10 November at the latest.
The PBA will then give way to the FIBA Asia Cup qualifying window on 18-26 November when Gilas plays New Zealand on 21 November and Hong Kong on 24 November at home.
The second conference — the Commissioner’s Cup — will start late November or early December and end before the next FIBA Asia Cup qualifying window where Gilas will play Chinese-Taipei on 20 February and New Zealand on 23 February, both on the road.
If the PBA collaboration pushes through, Hong Kong Eastern plans to play six home games at the new Kai Tak Sports Park and six road games in Manila during the eliminations.
The 10,000-seat Kai Tak indoor sports facility may be ready late this year and if it is, the proposal is to play three home games over a week in December and the other three over a week in January.
Two PBA teams may play in the first game of a Hong Kong doubleheader. If Hong Kong Eastern qualifies for the playoffs, a home-and-away format may also be applied.
Chua, the Barangay Ginebra governor, said opening the PBA to the Hong Kong market is a pathway to a larger exposure in East Asia.
“There are limitless marketing and sponsorship opportunities for both the PBA and Hong Kong Eastern,” he said.
“We’re looking at the big picture and based on the Bay Area experience, this could start a new chapter in PBA history where East Asia becomes a major segment of our market. This is hand-in-hand with our EASL partnership.”
