Former NBA player Metta World Peace grace the EASL drawing of lots Tuesday as he joins (from left) PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, EASL CEO Matt Beyer, KBL commissioner Kim Hee Ok, and B. League chairman Shinji Shimada. –EASL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The eventual PBA Philippine Cup champion will be in for an early showdown with P.League+ champions Taipei Fubon Braves in the East Asia Super League Season 1 slated for tipoff on October 12.
The 2022 Philippine Cup winner and the Braves are both in Group A.
Korean Basketball League champions Seoul SK Knights and their Japan B.League counterpart Utsunomiya Brex, meanwhile, headline an equally tough Group B.
Rounding out Group A are KBL runner-up Anyang KGC and B.League losing finalists Ryukyu Golden Kings.
The EASL draw of lots was held Tuesday at Shangri-La Fort in Taguig City. The groupings were settled via coin toss.
The runner-up of the ongoing all-Filipino Conference and Hong Kong’s Bay Area Dragons, who will represent Greater China in the regional tilt, finalize Group B.
“This is going to be a historic event,” said EASL CEO Matt Beyer.
LOOK: East Asia Super League draw of lots and presser here at Shangri-La Fort. | @MarkGiongcoINQ pic.twitter.com/AWoK9eV07o
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) June 28, 2022
The upcoming EASL season will feature a home-and-away format in a single-round elimination where the top two teams in each group advance to the Final Four.
The crossover semifinals and championship will be staged at a neutral site some time in March of next year with the winner taking home $1 million.
The second and third placers will pocket $500,000 and $250,000, respectively.
“Everyone is going to be competing for a massive one million dollar prize. So this should be motivation for everyone to bring everything they have and put it on the court,” said Beyer.
“We want the teams to take this seriously and fight for it.”