PBA narrows possible bubble venue down to three

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said that the league is now looking at three possible locations for its bubble for the resumption of its 45th season.

“Ang nangyari, gumawa sila ng shortlist,” he said on Friday evening following a lengthy meeting by the league’s board of governors.

Marcial did not identify which venues are in consideration, although he mentioned that the league received numerous proposals.

“Ang nagbigay ng proposal sa atin, twenty,” the third-year league chief shared.

“So pinag-aralan lahat.”

Lio Villas Resort in El Nido; Marriott Hotel in Pasay; Pontefino Hotel in Batangas; and Clark all made presentations to the board, Marcial added.

The Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai was also among those who sent a proposal, although the league has already crossed it out on its list.

Marcial said that time constraints would not make it possible for the league to travel abroad, although he greatly appreciated the offer.

Still, a return to Dubai may be possible ,as Marcial has floated the idea to the organizers about All-Star festivities taking place there in the future.

“‘Yung Dubai talagang gusto nila. Sinabi ko lang na baka kulang sa oras kasi September na, October ko gusto magpalaro, baka kulangin sa papers,” he said.

“Nagpapasalamat pa rin ako sa kanila. Sabi ko mag-usap na lang kami ng All-Star — oo gusto naman nila All-Star don.”

The board will meet again next Thursday, where it will determine not just the venue but what bubble system the league will use once it resumes.

The options the league has is the NBA-like bubble, a semi-bubble of hotel-venue-hotel, or the closed-circuit concept.

The closed-circuit concept is what the league is using for its practices, where players, coaches, and staff follow the home-gym-home routine.

“Sa Thursday pag-uusapan ‘yung shortlist, kung anong klaseng bubble, at ‘yung format.”