Players back proposed PBA 'bubble'

MANILA, Philippines – PBA players are all-in for the pro league’s planned Philippine Cup resumption via bubble or semi bubble.

After going over the PBA’s restart plans in a meeting with Commissioner Willie Marcial, representative-players from the 12 teams expressed their readiness to get quartered in hotels for two months just for the eyed bubble tournament.

“Lahat sila willing mag-bubble o semis bubble,” Marcial said after the Wednesday’s dialogue, held a day before the PBA board of governors convenes to decide on matters pertaining to the reopening.

Marcial briefed the cagers on the different bubble concepts the board is looking at: The NBA-style bubble, where everyone is holed up in one place; the semi-bubble, where participants stay at hotels and go to the venues and back; and the closed circuit, where they observe a home-venue-home routine.

“Nag-suggest sila na kung pwede daw yung bubble o semi-bubble na lang, huwag na yung closed circuit,” said Marcial who will relay the players’ wishes to the board on Thursday.

The players, according to Marcial, had some suggestions and inputs on matters pertaining to accommodation, amenities and rules that he would also inform the board of.

The PBA has shortlisted the potential venues for the restart from among 20 candidate hotels from Metro Manila and the provinces.

The board is expected to make its choice this Thursday.

“Posibleng sa NCR kami o sa probinsya,” Marcial said.

The pro league has a pending request to the IATF to allow the teams to shift to 5-on-5 scrimmages, from the current no-contact physical conditioning sessions in batches of five.

The plan is to push for government clearance for the games’ proper after three weeks of scrimmage. The target, according to Marcial, is to start by Oct. 9 and finish by Dec. 10 or 13 at the latest.