Debut Super League matchups unveiled
The newly formed Bay Area Dragons, made up of leading Chinese talent, have been drawn in Group B for the inaugural season of the East Asia Super League – set for launch in October.
The draw was unveiled in Manila yesterday, when the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) confirmed it would send two of their top teams to compete for the league title and the US$1 million prize.
The championship-winning team from the current PBA season will compete in Group A alongside Korean Basketball League side Anyang KGC, Ryukyu Golden Kings of the Japanese B.League and Taiwanese team Fubon Braves.
The Bay Area Dragons will face the PBA runners-up when they get their season under way on October 12. Joining them in Group B will be Seoul SK Knights, the runners-up in the 2019 Korean Basketball League, plus the newly crowned B.League winners Utsunomiya Brex.
The Dragons recently announced the signing of respected head coach Brian Goorjian, the only coach in the Australia national team’s history to have won an Olympic medal.
Goorjian will take up his role in Manila on August 1. The Bay Area Dragons will be based initially in the Philippine capital to work around Hong Kong’s restrictive Covid-19 rules.
Their players include China national team member Liu Chuanxing and Hong Kong legend Duncan Reid, with more signings expected.
“We are very excited to represent [China] in the East Asia Super League, as well as the Philippine Basketball Association,” Goorjian said. “We are looking forward to playing against these other amazing teams in the PBA and around Asia, and we are ready for the challenges ahead.”
The East Asia Super League aims to become a top league globally by 2025, according to CEO Matt Bayer. “Our mission is to be East Asia’s premier basketball league, with a vision to be one of the top three leagues globally by 2025 in terms of fan base and commercial revenue,” he said.
The eight teams in the league will play home-and-away group matches, with 24 games from October to February.