BASKETBALL – THREE of the most popular Filipino professional basketball teams that will be playing in the kingdom in official Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) games later this year were announced yesterday.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, and Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots are all set to feature in the historic basketball event, set to take place December 15 and 17 at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town.
The three PBA franchises were announced yesterday by the PBA.
The games are part of the league’s 50th anniversary season and they will coincide with the kingdom’s National Day celebrations.
All three teams visiting the island feature star-studded casts that include some of the most famous players in Philippine basketball.
Barangay Ginebra, coached by the Philippine national team’s head tactician Tim Cone, boast a line-up that includes Justine Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, and Jamie Malonzo, to name just a few.
The Elasto Painters feature former national team head coach Yeng Guiao and leading players such as Gabe Norwood, Beau Belga, Adrian Nocum, and Andrei Caracut, among others.
The Hotshots have one of the PBA’s greatest-ever legends Alvin Patrimonio as the team manager. Their line-up is spearheaded by Paul Lee, Zavier Lucero, Mark Barroca, and Ian Paul Sangalang.
The PBA and the Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) had officially signed the agreement last July for the official games to be held in the kingdom for the first time in PBA history. The signing ceremony took place in Manila between PBA commissioner Willie Marcial and then-BBA president Alaa Mudara.
More information on the games in Bahrain, including ticket sales, are expected to be announced soon by the BBA.
The contests will be broadcast on Filipino channel TV5, giving fans in the Philippines and around the world the opportunity to follow the action at Khalifa Sports City Arena.
The PBA games in the kingdom will follow another official PBA contest in Dubai on October 26, when the San Miguel basketball team lock horns with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at Coca-Cola Arena in the Emirati city.
This year’s PBA games in the Gulf mark the league’s first overseas foray since 2019, when the league held a two-game offering, also in Dubai.
The PBA is one of the top professional men’s basketball leagues in the continent. Founded in 1975, it features 12 franchises today, with the others being TNT Tropang 5G, Meralco Bolts, Blackwater Bossing, Converge FiberXers, NLEX Road Warriors, NorthPort Batang Pier, Phoenix Fuel Masters, and Terrafirma Dyip.
The PBA was the first pro basketball league in Asia and it is the second-oldest in the world, after only the NBA.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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