With its 50th anniversary coming this season, the PBA is embarking on a global outreach program to bring the league live to Filipino audiences abroad. So far, official games are scheduled in Dubai on Oct. 25 and Bahrain on Dec. 15 and 17. PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said he has received offers to play in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Saudi Arabia and New York. Another “beyond borders” event under consideration is Batang PBA in Calgary, Canada.
Marcial said the PBA Board of Governors is open to discuss more overseas options and the participation of foreign guest teams during the season. In PBA history, 12 foreign teams have seen action since the Melbourne Panthers and Palmeiras of Brazil broke ground in 1977. The latest to join was Hong Kong Eastern last season.
As for playing overseas, it’s nothing new to the PBA which has held games in Indonesia, Guam, Hong Kong and Dubai. Two games were staged in Dubai involving Alaska, Mahindra and Barangay Ginebra in the 2015 Philippine Cup and two more were held with NLEX, San Miguel Beer and Ginebra in the 2019 Governors’ Cup. No PBA game has been played abroad in six years.
Last June, PBA chairman Ricky Vargas, vice chairman Alfrancis Chua, Marcial, Cignal first vice president/head of channel content Sienna Olaso, Cignal assistant vice president/head of channel management and programming Rissa Guilas, Cignal sales head Eric Centeno and Cignal chief revenue officer Gerard Milan visited the NBA office in New York to take up areas of collaboration. The talks opened up the possibility of playing a PBA game in New York. Last year, Marcial met with Julian Franklin of the Toronto Raptors’ owner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in Toronto and representatives of Go Hard Sports in Calgary to explore PBA inroads in Canada.
It’s no secret that the PBA is known as the “happy hunting grounds” for Asian scouts looking to import Filipino players, primarily to Japan and Korea. Arvin Tolentino and William Navarro are the latest PBA standouts to move to Korea. Matthew Wright, Kiefer Ravena and Bobby Ray Parks were PBA veterans who jumped to Japan. Marcial said it’s every PBA player’s right to seek better opportunities wherever and the league won’t get in his way for as long as there is no conflicting or hindering contract.
However, overseas playing options for Filipinos are limited. In Japan, pure Filipinos may play as Asian quota imports but only Fil-foreigners recognized as locals by FIBA for Gilas are eligible and teams may choose to recruit either a naturalized player or an Asian import. In Korea, only full-blooded Filipinos may be recruited, regardless of where they were born, disqualifying Fil-foreigners of mixed heritage. As some players are traversing beyond borders, so is the PBA in spreading its wings to bring basketball diplomacy and goodwill to Filipinos abroad.