EASL welcomes Eastern, Black Bears

Hong Kong Eastern and the Macau Black Bears will compete in the East Asia Super League (EASL) 2024-25 Season in a major expansion of East Asia’s professional club basketball championship.

The teams will play their home games in Hong Kong and Macau, respectively, bringing a full season of EASL action to the Greater Bay Area for the first time.

The addition of Hong Kong Eastern and the Macau Black Bears increases the number of competing teams in the EASL 2024-25 Season from eight to ten teams and ramps up representation from Greater China.

The Hong Kong and Macau sides will face off against the best teams from Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea and the Philippines, to decide East Asia’s champion.

Eastern are one of Hong Kong’s most storied teams and are the reigning domestic champions. They won their third domestic A1 Division title in 2023 and are also a two-time winner of the ASEAN Basketball League (2016-17 and 2023).

Eastern have been placed into Group A for the 2024-25 Season Group Stage, in which they will play against B.LEAGUE champions the Hiroshima Dragonflies, Korean Basketball League (KBL) runners-up the Suwon KT Sonicboom, P. LEAGUE+ runners-up the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, and Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup champion San Miguel Beer.

Macau Black Bears were formed in 2018 as Macau’s first-ever professional team. They are the reigning Macau basketball league champions and have also represented the region in the ASEAN Basketball League and The Asia Tournament.

The Black Bears have been placed into Group B for the 2024-25 Season Group Stage, in which they will play against B.LEAGUE runners-up the Ryukyu Golden Kings, KBL champions the Busan KCC Egis, P.LEAGUE+ champions the New Taipei Kings, and PBA Philippine Cup champions the Meralco Bolts.