A HISTORIC first and fitting for the pro league’s golden anniversary.
The PBA is set to hold games in Bahrain during the Philippine Cup in December as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.
Commissioner Willie Marcial and Bahrain Basketball Association President Alaa Madara confirmed the development, seen as a win-win situation for the growing cage partnership of the two countries.
“We’re very happy to host the games in Bahrain. We’ve done it (host Filipino players) in the past, a few national team games,” Mudara said during a press conference at halftime of Game 5 of the San Miguel Beer-TNT finals showdown last Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. “But this time, we’re going to have PBA teams for PBA fans to enjoy, especially Filipinos who can’t come to the Philippines to watch the games.
“It will be held during the National Day of Bahrain. It will be a great time to have these games on a holiday,” he added.
Mudara, a former Bahraini national team standout who played during the 1978 FIBA World Cup at the Big Dome, was accompanied by former La Salle cager and compatriot Bader Malabes in their visit.
Marcial, the effervescent chief of Asia’s first play-for-pay league, said three squads are set to prove their worth at the Bahrain capital of Manama on Dec. 15 and 17.
“We’ll have the same format like in Dubai (2019) with three teams, back-to-back games iyong isa,” Marcial said. “Hindi pa muna masabi iyong teams kasi we’ll check the schedule first. But we have already signed the contract, Dec. 15 and 17.
“We’re so grateful na inimbitahan tayo ng Bahrain.”
It will mark the maiden matches played in Bahrain that will simultaneously be staged during the season-opening tilt’s tiffs in Manila.
Dubai served as the venue of several official games by the league, including a two-day series that pitted the Beermen against the NLEX Road Warriors and NLEX against the Ginebra in the season-ending Governors’ Cup six years ago.
Aside from its Bahrain sojourn, the PBA is also slated to make a stop in Dubai in October.
Two other Middle Eastern nations—Qatar and Saudi Arabia—are being eyed to play host to duels as the league is going all out in its grandiose commemoration of a milestone year.
