The Macau Black Bears have expressed interest to take part in not just one but two conferences of the PBA’s 50th season.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said Lukas Peng, who serves as the team’s president of basketball operations, reached out to him about the possibility of playing in the Commissioner’s Cup and the Governors’ Cup.
Marcial added that Macau may also take part in the planned mini-tournament that will be held during next year’s Nagoya Asian Games where several PBA players are expected to banner Gilas Pilipinas’ defense of the gold.
‘It will be up for discussion within the board to see what the arrangements are in the event they agree to join us for the second conference, the mini-tournament and the third conference,’ Marcial said during Friday’s Philippine Cup playdate at Ynares Center here.
The PBA had previously invited two Hong Kong-based outfits in the Bay Area Dragons during the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup and Eastern Sports Club in last year’s edition of the same conference.
Bay Area lost to Barangay Ginebra in the Finals while Eastern was booted out by eventual champion TNT in the quarterfinals.
Macau currently plays in the East Asia Super League, but will likely comply with PBA regulations in terms of roster composition and requirements on imports.
The Black Bears are no strangers to playing PBA teams, particularly the Meralco Bolts who they have faced in the last two seasons of the EASL. The two teams are actually going to face off on Saturday in Ilagan, Isabela