A hoops war begins this weekend as the SBL tips off at New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang Gymnasium, ahead of the rival P.League+, which begins at the Changhua County Stadium on Dec. 19.
The SBL openers today see Taiwan Bank take on Pauian Archiland at 3pm, followed by the marquee matchup at 5:30pm between defending champions Taiwan Beer and last season’s losing finalists the Yulon Luxgen Dinos.
Jeoutai Technology, the fifth SBL team, formerly known as Kinmen Kaoliang, play their first game tomorrow against Taiwan Bank, also in Sinjhuang.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Among the new foreign players unveiled this week, the most prominent is former NBA player Rakeem Christmas of the Dinos.
The former Indiana Pacers player is engaged to Jasmine Jordan, the daughter of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. The couple had a baby last year.
Other Americans signed up for this season include J.D. Miller of Taiwan Beer, Branden Dawson of Jeoutai, Jordan Tolbert of Archiland and Zak Irvin of Taiwan Bank.
The SBL is starting its 18th season as the nation’s top basketball competition, but it has seen some of its clubs depart, with former champions the Dacin Tigers dropping out last year, as well as the Fubon Braves, who left at the end of last season.
The Braves have teamed up with the Formosa Dreamers — renamed the Taishin Dreamers — to create the P.League+, along with two other new clubs, the Taoyuan Pilots and the Hsinchu Lioneers.
CTBA secretary-general Lee Yi-chung said that the SBL teams would do their best to win over the fans and the league has chosen “Fight Back” as its new slogan.
Due to the challenge from the new league, the SBL has ended its practice of signing an exclusive broadcasting agreement with one TV network and this year has broadened its media outreach, Lee said.
SBL games are to be broadcast on the Public Television Service and Videoland Sports, as well as online platforms YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, camerabay.tv and Instagram, he said.
“The players need to be more competitive and improve their game to overcome the challenge of the new league,” Taiwan Beer point guard Chiang Yu-an told reporters on Tuesday. “We have to provide the fans with high-quality basketball and make progress in all aspects of the game, and if we can the results will be good for everyone.”
The SBL had been facing a crisis, with Kaohsiung-based Jeoutai and other teams threatening to leave and sign on with the new league.
With the basketball community divided into two independent leagues fighting for dwindling resources, it is likely only one could survive, commentators say.
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put