The Philippine Basketball Association, led by commissioner Chito Salud, will meet representatives of three prospective expansion teams on Monday to determine their financial capabilities in their bid to join the pro league.
Representatives of Ever Bilena, KIA Motors Philippines and NLEX will meet with Salud at the league’s offices in Libis, Quezon City, to present their respective financial statements which will be relayed by the commissioner to the league’s board of governors when it convenes on Thursday next week.
Ever Bilena, which owns Blackwater in the PBA D-League, has been eyeing a place in Asia’s pioneering pro league for quite some time now.
A franchise fee of P100 million is reportedly being set by the league.
Meanwhile, former two-time MVP Willie Miller and 1996 Alaska Grand Slam team member Jeffrey Cariaso will join the All-Star festivities next month as part of the Greats versus Stalwarts game.
Miller will see action for Fortunato ‘Atoy’ Co’s Greats squad, while Cariaso, a former Rookie of the Year with the then Milkmen, who won all three jewels of the year in 1996, will play for William ‘Bogs’ Adornado’s Stalwarts quintet.
Co and Adornado, who were part of the first team—the defunct Crispa Redmanizers—to achieve the sweet sweep in 1976, will be the playing coaches of both squads.
Joining Miller and Co at the Greats squads are Freddie Abuda, Air21 coach Franz Pumaren, Globalport assistant Johnedel Cardel, active players Terrence Romeo, JV Casio, Cliff Hodge and Rey Guevarra, and 1998 MVP Vergel Meneses.
Aside from Cariaso, who is now an assistant of Tim Cone at San Mig Coffee, Adornado will have former Ginebra banger Noli Locsin, Alaska team manager Dickie Bachmann and Richard del Rosario.
Active players who are on the Stalwarts rosters are Ronjay Buenafe, Chris Tiu, Sol Mercado, Mark Cardona, John Wilson and the high-flying Justin Melton, the San Mig Coffee rookie.
Incidentally, Melton, who reportedly has a 44-inch vertical leap, can showcase his full leaping ability in the main side event of the festivities—the Slam Dunk championship—which he hopes to wrest from Barangay Ginebra’s Chris Ellis.
RELATED STORY
Santos, Abueva among PBA All-Star reserves named to play Gilas