13 teams set for inaugural PBA 3×3 tournament

PBA is set to open its first 3×3 season. INQUIRER FILE

MANILA, Philippines—The first PBA 3×3 tournament is set to have 13 total teams including 10 from the league’s franchises and three guest teams.

While there will be 10 teams coming from the PBA’s clubs, four of those will carry either a different brand or a subsidiary.

PBA 3×3 Chairman Dickie Bachmann in an interview with The Game that introducing a 3×3 tournament to the league is vital for the association’s innovation.

“Since the PBA is the leader of basketball in the Philippines, it’s about time we introduce a new format,” said Bachmann of the tournament that will start in mid-November.

Magnolia, NLEX, Asian Coatings Philippines Inc. (Rain or Shine), and Phoenix’s teams will be called Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Cavitex Road Warriors, Sista Super Sealers, and Limitless, respectively.

San Miguel, Barangay Ginebra, TNT, Meralco, NorthPort, and Terrafirma, meanwhile, will field teams carrying the same branding as that of its mother teams.

Zamboanga Valientes MLV, Platinum Karaoke, and Pioneer Pro Tibay willl be the guest teams in the tournament.

Bachmann added that a PBA 3×3 season will have three conferences and each tournament will be played across six two-day legs and a grand final.

The legs will be played every weekend with group stages played on Saturdays and the knockouts on Sundays.

Since there are  13 teams, one of the four groups will have four teams.

Each leg and the grand finals will have corresponding cash prizes with the top 10 teams after the first six legs advancing to the grand finals.