Hong Kong Eastern is interested in joining the PBA as a guest team.
Commissioner Willie Marcial said that talks are ongoing between the league and the ball club regarding the latter’s participation possibly in Season 49.
“Nag-uusap pa lang naman kami,” the amiable executive told Tiebreaker Times Sunday prior to the Draft at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.
The league is considering inviting a guest team for next season’s Commissioner’s Cup, alongside the idea of allowing the two-import setup.
Marcial previously said that his office is in talks with an interested party, and Eastern is the latest to express its intention to play in the PBA.
(C) FIBA.basketball
A report by South China Morning Post said that the club’s plan to play in Asia’s first pro league is part of its goal to eventually compete in China’s CBA.
The reigning Hong Kong A1 Division champions, Eastern is known by fans in the region as two-time winners of the ASEAN Basketball League.
It’s the same team that Christian Standhardinger played for in 2018 as a Heritage Import, helping them to a semifinal finish.
Eastern also played in the inaugural Basketball Champions League Asia Qualifiers, where it competed in both of the tournament’s windows.
