PBA EXPLORES TIEUPS WITH KOREAN LEAGUE
PBA commissioner Chito Salud and board chairman Patrick Gregorio are to meet with their counterparts with the Korean Basketball League Thursday to look for possible areas of cooperation or tie-ups.
Salud sought the meeting to make the most of their Seoul visit.
“We’re reaching out with our Asian counterparts,” said Gregorio.
“The commissioner requested for that meeting to find out about their league (the KBL), about their plans, about their format and see if we can align, and, who knows, maybe we can play a few games together,” Gregorio also said.
The PBA Board chair said this is an offshoot of the recent Manila visit of the LG Sakers, who played a series of exhibition games against PBA teams.
The Sakers’ Manila visit was highlighted by a game versus the Barangay Ginebra Kings that drew a big crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“If you noticed, they were so aggressive (promoting the event). I think I saw three or four of their ads promoting the relationship,” Gregorio said.
“We want to push that. We want to develop that. I think it’s the right thing to do. It’s aligned to what we want to happen, that slowly but surely, once step at a time, maybe we can invite them to also play in the PBA as guest teams, as guest players, as Asian reinforcements,” Gregorio also said.
“The KBL relationship-building is very important as far as the PBA is concerned because we’re opening up the opportunity to play together,” Gregorio added. (SB)
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