PBA board favors tapping Asian imports

SEOUL, South Korea—To spice up the coming 40th season of the Philippine Basketball Association, team representatives are exploring the option of tapping Asian imports for the season-ending Governors’ Cup.

This plan was bared by chair Patrick Gregorio of Talk ‘N Text after the board’s series of meetings to plot the direction that the league will take even as commissioner Chito Salud urged the leaders to draw up the eligibility rules.

Initially, Asians standing no more than 6-foot-4 will be allowed to reinforce a squad and he can play alongside the allowable import.

The move is “purely for marketing,” according to Gregorio, who plans to tap the massive number of Asian expatriates in the Philippines to join the local fan base of the league. But naturalized players won’t be eligible as Asian imports.

The 40th season opens on Oct. 19 at the 50,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bocuae, Bulacan, with newcomers KIA Motors and Blackwater Elite slugging it out in the first game and the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters clashing with Barangay Ginebra in the second game.

The PBA is one of the highest-paying pro leagues in Asia and tapping Asian imports during the third conference assures that there are no other pro leagues playing at that time of year.