EASL Terrific 12. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—The first season of the East Asia Super League is scheduled to start on October 12 with PBA teams set to face clubs from either the Japan B.League or the Korean Basketball League.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said that the PBA Board has also agreed to adjust the playing dates of their teams competing in the continental competition which will have a home-and-away format.
Marcial added EASL CEO Matt Beyer already provided him with the playing calendar for the five-month long competition.
PBA teams will play on October 12 on foreign soil then on October 19 in the Philippines to host their end of the draw.
A similar schedule will also take place in November as all of the eight EASL teams are scheduled to play three games at home and three more on the road.
“I talked to Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro to adjust the schedule to make room for those teams who will play in the EASL,” said Marcial in Filipino.
“We won’t play them for a week, they can return to action once they’ve returned. That’s why our inclusion in the EASL is green and go. We’re actually excited to play there.”
The PBA also implemented a similar adjustment to its 2019 calendar when San Miguel, TNT, and Blackwater played in the Terrific 12 in Macau.