P.League+ runners-up the New Taipei Kings have been awarded a spot in the East Asia Super League (EASL) season, organizers said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Kings are to play in Group B against the Seoul SK Knights and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, the runners-up in the Korean Basketball League and Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup respectively, as well as Japan B.League champions Ryukyu Golden King, the EASL said.
The Kings join the Taipei Fubon Braves in the international competition, with the Braves having reigned over the P.League+ for three years since its establishment in 2020, including their 4-2 series win in the finals against the Kings in June.
Photo: CNA
However, the Braves went 0-2 in their first EASL campaign in March.
EASL chief executive officer Matt Beyer said that his organization looks forward to seeing the teams from South Korea, Japan and the Philippines play in New Taipei City “in front of the Kings’ sellout crowds.”
A home-and-away format is to be played for the first time this season after a shortened EASL Champions Week format in Japan because of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The New Taipei Kings is focused on building a tradition of excellence and part of that is playing in the toughest competition possible,” Kings CEO Phil Chen said.
The addition of the Kings had been under consideration for a while and is expected to “significantly expand EASL’s reach and market in” Taiwan, the organizer’s statement said.
The Kings take the place of the Bay Area Dragons.
The Hong Kong-based team were disbanded by the EASL on Friday last week, the South China Morning Post reported at the time.
The EASL said the decision was made after discussing “conflict-of-interest issues due to both running a league and owning a team.”
A generous termination package has been offered to the Dragons’ players and coaches, with head coach Brian Goorjian to serve as an EASL ambassador for the remainder of his contract, it said.
Separately, the Hsinchu Jko Lioneers of the P.League+ on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the T1 League’s Taipei Taishin Mars and player Lin Ping-sheng following abortive negotiations hosted by Taiwan’s national basketball association.
The Lioneers said in a statement that the franchise initiated legal action that afternoon to protect its rights as a result of the Mars’ inconsistent attitude and Lin’s failure to attend negotiations on Monday.
The lawsuit against the Taishin franchise includes accusations that it contravened the Fair Trade Act and the Civil Code, the Lioneers’ statement said.
The lawsuit is the first filed by a ballclub from one of Taiwan’s two professional leagues against a team in the other since the T1 League was established in 2021.
The national association, which supervises all basketball events in Taiwan, said that the two teams and Lin were unable to reach an agreement on Monday and gave them two days to consider their options.
However, the association later said it was unable to bridge the gap between the three parties, who could still not reach an agreement on Wednesday, adding that it respects any decision to seek legal redress.
The association would introduce an agent system for athletes on Jan. 1 next year in a bid to avoid similar disputes, it said.
The Lioneers and Mars last month both claimed to have signed the former New Taipei CTBC DEA guard.
The Lioneers in June released a contract with Lin’s signature on it, but at a news conference on Aug. 24 to mark the establishment of Mars, the new team implied that the contract was invalid.
Senior commentator Chen Kai on Thursday told reporters that the national association does not have any legal authority to rule on the case.
The two franchises are on different pages, Chen said.
The Lioneers have accused Mars of player poaching and argue that the case is rooted in the unwholesome way player transfers are regulated, while Mars insist it is a conflict between the Lioneers and Lin, denying any poaching, Chen said.
It is not difficult to understand why the association wants to roll out the new agent system, because a professional sports agent would be less likely to make the same mistake as Lin did, he said, referring to the player signing for two teams.
More comprehensive regulations are needed, but it would be hard for the two independent leagues to reach consensus on the issue, he added.
As the new season approaches, and the Lioneers sue Mars and Lin, the case could go in multiple directions, and Lin might be unable to play for a time, Chen said.
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