Two more key cogs won’t be with Macau when the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup resumes in October, after Jenning Leung and Ramon Cao left the club.
Both men have re-signed with Hong Kong Eastern, marking a homecoming as they previously played for the HKA1 outfit in the East Asia Super League—roles that they shall be reprising in their return for the new season.
Eastern announced the signings on Thursday as the former PBA guest team is ramping up its preparations for the new EASL wars that start October 3.
However, this leaves the Giant Pandas, especially Coach Marcus Elliott, without pieces to lean on in their bid to stay alive in the season-ending tilt.
Damian Chongqui is believed to have left the team after signing with another Macau team named Macau Hou Chon for the 2026-27 EASL competitions.
It is different from the Macau team that has been competing in the PBA since the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup. Founded in 2012, Hou Chon has been playing in the All-Macau Basketball Silver Medal League since 2017.
Hou Chon has also signed Phoenix Shackelford, who played for the Black Knights — then the moniker that the Giant Pandas carried — during the Commissioner’s Cup and was one of their top players in a disappointing run.
With all these developments, Macau may have to lean mostly on its local talent and reinforcements such as De’Vondre Perry and Kobey Lam — that is, if these two will still be around when the conference continues on October 7.
As it stands, the Giant Pandas carry a 2-6 record in Group A, with their wins coming at the expense of Terrafirma and Titan Ultra.
Needless to say, their four remaining games in the group stage are all must-win. But it will be a challenge without the three players who have carried much of the load for the crew in this tourney.
Chongqui, for one, has been one of their best scorers with 22.0 points, alongside 5.38 assists and 3.13 rebounds in the eight games he played.
Cao himself had also played in all their games before the league went into an international break and averaged 17.25 points and 7.75 rebounds.
Leung, for his part, played just three games but was impactful as their lead floor spacer with 12.33 points. He had 22 points in their 132-126 come-from-behind victory over the Giant Risers last July 25 in a battle between doormat teams.
