Four of the P.League+’s six teams and all five of the T1 League’s clubs have signed a letter of intent to join a proposed new basketball league, New Taipei Kings chairman Walter Wang said on Saturday.
The planned league of at least 10 teams would include the Kings, which Wang founded, and one from Southeast Asia, he told a news conference in New Taipei City.
It is time to take professional basketball in Taiwan to the next level by forming a new league, he said, adding that he has been in discussions with many team owners and was working to convince the other two P.League+ teams to join.
Photo: CNA
Professional basketball in Taiwan has been attracting the interest of teams from Singapore, which came to watch the recently concluded championship games between the Kings and the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, he said.
Taiwan could learn from the US’ NBA, which was formed by merging two organizations and later grew at a rapid pace, Wang said.
The teams in Taiwan that have shown interest in the new league would work together to come up with a name and hash out details such as the rules, regulations, rights and obligations, he said, adding that the names of the teams would be revealed later.
T1 League secretary-general Wang Chih-chun on Saturday said in a statement that the T1 was open to cooperation and was committed to improving Taiwan’s professional basketball environment.
On Thursday, the Kings captured the 2023-2024 P.League championship title, beating the Pilots 4-1 in the best-of-seven series. It was the Kings’ first championship in the league, which was launched in 2020.
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