Now that San Miguel Beer has taken home the PBA Commissioner’s Cup trophy by beating TNT, the two Finals protagonists will rekindle their rivalry in a foreign tournament in Macao come September. They will be joined by Blackwater Elite in a 12-team competition that will also include ball clubs from China, Japan and South Korea.
Dubbed The Terrific 12, the FIBA-recognized basketball tournament features three clubs from the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), four from the B.LEAGUE (Japan), two from the Korean Basketball League (KBL) and three from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It will be held at the Tap Seac Multisports Pavilion in Macao from September 17-22, 2019.
The participating teams in East Asia Super League, Asia’s premier basketball tournament include the Liaoning Flying Leopards, the Shenzhen Aviators and the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions from China; the Chiba Jets, the Niigata Albirex, the Ryukyu Golden Kings and the Utsunomiya Brex from Japan; the Jeonju KCC Egis and the Seoul SK Knights from Korea and the three PBA teams.
Sixteen games total will be played in three stages: the Group Stage, Semifinals and Finals to crown this year’s champion. In the Group Stage, clubs will be divided into four groups of three, with each team playing two games. The top team from each group will advance to compete in the Semifinals following a rest day on September 20. The champion will be awarded USD$150,000, the runner- up will be awarded USD$100,000 and third place will be awarded USD $50,000.
The “Super League” started in Macao in 2017 with eight teams participating in Summer Super 8. Last year the number of teams grew to 12 and began to be known as the Terrific 12 where the Philippines was represented by a PBA D-League selection called the iECO Green Warriors. This year, the PBA’s top two teams and Blackwater will add more punch to the Philippine representation.
For more information on Terrific 12, please visit eastasiasuperleague.com and follow EAST ASIA SUPER LEAGUE on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media accounts. Tickets are available at eastasiasuperleague.com