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FROM EXPRESS TO EXPRESSWAY
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Metro Pacific Investments Corporation has come to terms with Airfreight 2100, Inc., paving the way for NLEX to take over the Air21 franchise next season.
Originally accepted as an expansion team, NLEX took a different route and purchased the Express franchise.
“I am pleased to announce that today, the PBA Board of Governors approved unanimously the assignment, transfer, and sale of the rights over an existing member team to Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), which will carry the name NLEX Warriors. The owner of this existing franchise is Airfreight 2100, Inc., carrying the name Air21 Express,” said PBA Commissioner Chito Salud in a press conference before Game 4 of the Alaska-Rain or Shine semifinals series.
“Therefore, for the next season, the PBA will be having two expansion teams – Blackwater Sports and Team KIA, and one other new team taking over the said franchise of Airfreight 2100, Inc. – NLEX Warriors.”
Needing two-thirds of the votes from the Board of Governors, the sale got the nod of all 10 teams in the Board meeting Thursday afternoon.
The details of the sale was not touched by the Commissioner, as he said, “I’m not in the position to disclose the acquisition cost at this time because the parties are scheduled to submit the deed of assignment and transfer of the said franchise in the next couple of days, if not by early next week.”
With the sale, the PBA will parade 12 teams when the league opens its 40th season on October 19.
NLEX will inherit a talent-laden Air21 squad bannered by MVP contender Asi Taulava.
“That means that in essence, the new team will be acquiring all the players of the existing ballclub,” Salud said, as he added that the fate of head coach Franz Pumaren and his coaching staff will be “left to the discretion of the new member team.”
NLEX boasts a proud track record, as the Road Warriors won six titles in the PBA D-League under head coach Boyet Fernandez.
The Road Warriors now join Talk ‘N Text and Meralco in the PBA fold under the MVP Group.
Air21 is coming off its best season as a franchise, with the Express making their first-ever Final Four appearance in the Commissioner’s Cup, overcoming San Miguel Beer’s twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals before being booted by eventual champion San Mig Super Coffee in the semis.
The team’s success can also be attributed to the resurgence of the 41-year-old Taulava, alongside Joseph Yeo, Mac Cardona, and Sean Anthony.
Pumaren has formed a competitive team since the franchise was acquired from the original Barako Bull team in 2011.
Under the Shopinas.com Clickers name, Pumaren took the team from the cellar and assembled the formidable team as it looks now.
Regarding talks of trades involving Joseph Yeo and Sean Anthony, Salud said that it was not tackled.
“Player trades involving transferors and transferees were not discussed by the Board. These are categorized as trades, and it’s only the Office of the Commissioner who is left to decide on these things. There was nothing proposed to that aspect in today’s Board meeting,” he said.
The purchase also left Blackwater and KIA as the two remaining expansion teams which will participate in the expansion draft set on July 18.
Salud said, “The deadlines for all our teams to submit all their protected players is on July 11. A week later would be the expansion draft. Now, we are definite and certain that there will only be two participants in the said expansion draft.”
On talks of a possible return of the Air21 name in the future, Salud explained that the ball will be in the owners’ hands.
“It depends,” Salud said.
“I emphasized that the owner of the Air21 Express team is Airfreight 2100, Inc. That is to make distinction between that ownership of that franchise and the franchise owning the Barako Bull team, which is the Linaheim Corporate Services, Inc., both of which, however, are owned by Bert Lina. There’s still a distinction. Two teams of Bert Lina, two separate franchises.”
He added, “It would depend if the name Air21 still belongs to Linaheim. There’s no evidence that they don’t, so the answer is yes in the future. But there has been no indication that they will do that. Barako Bull will stay.” (RL)
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