Negri basketball players get early angpow for win

SEREMBAN: Nine players of the Negri Sembilan basketball team netted an early “angpow” for Chinese New Year when they each received an apartment worth RM280,000 for winning the Malaysian Basketball Association (Maba)Matrix Agong Cup tournament for the third consecutive year.

For scoring the hat-trick in the 60th edition of the major national championship last month, the team’s two coaches were also each given an apartment currently under construction in Bandar Sunsuria near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The small-office-home-office gifts were presented by Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd group executive deputy chairman Datuk Lee Tian Hock who committed to the rewards after the team won the tournament for the second time in 2017.

“I am happy to be able to contribute towards the development of basketball in the country.

“It is my hope that by doing so, Malaysia can become one of the top teams in the region in the near future,” he said.

Lee was speaking to reporters at a ceremony to honour the winners.

Lee said the team’s four other players, who did not win the tournament thrice, would each receive RM70,000 while eight others who won it for the first time got RM10,000 each.

Negri’s young side lifted the trophy for the milestone edition of the tournament when it beat the experienced Police 67-63 at the final in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 30.

Lee had also rewarded the players generously after they won the championship for the second time.

The state women’s team, which also emerged victorious in the tournament, was given a total RM840,000, with each of the 12 players getting RM70,000.

Negri Sembilan also emerged champions in the non-Chinese category of the event and each of the 12 players was gifted with RM5,000.

In addition, Lee gave RM3,000 each to the 12 players of the state’s under-17 team after they walked away as champions in the Maba National Youth Basketball Championship.

Maba vice-president Chey That Woon, who was also present, said the association was indebted to Lee for promoting the sport.

Matrix took over as the main sponsor of the tournament in 2015.