THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will have a two-conference format that will last for 10 months for the upcoming 46th season. It is targeted to commence next month.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said the 2021 season will kick off with Philippine Cup which will last for four months beginning on April 11, and Governor’s Cup which will be for six months later this year.
A request for the conduct of the All-Filipino conference on “semi-bubble” setup has already been sent to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases for its approval.
By “semi-bubble” setup, Marcial explained that players will have a strict home-gym-home routine through the tournament. Hefty fines and penalties will be slapped by PBA to violators.
“More players prefer the semi-bubble, compared to last season’s bubble tournament in Clark, Pampanga,” Marcial said.
The PBA commissioner further said the league – in coordination with league coveror, TV5 – is already negotiating with certain venues in Metro Manila for the conduct of matches for the season.
Meanwhile, the Governor’s Cup will have a double-round robin format with each team allowed to tap a 6-foot-5 reinforcement. The second conference will likely be a “semi-bubble” depending on the coronavirus disease 2019 situation.
“It is our hope that we are able to bring 10 months of basketball starting April 11,” PBA chairman Ricardo Vargas said. “We are anticipating missed games for certain players like the NBA.”
Meanwhile, the PBA will push through with its inaugural 3×3 basketball tournament this year, which will be played before the 5-on-5 matches, according to Alaska Aces team governor Dickie Bachmann.
The PBA 3×3 matches will be held on Fridays and Saturdays in the same venue as the five-on-five games, said Bachmann. The number of teams participating is still being finalized./PN
