Taiwan’s professional basketball landscape is expected to become more integrated, as P.League+ (PLG) and the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) plan to collaborate in the 2025-2026 season.
The 10 teams from the two leagues met on Wednesday and “reached a consensus to collaborate,” TPBL commissioner Chuang Jui-hsiung said at a news conference in Taipei.
All teams have received a letter of intent, and more than half have responded to the initiative.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“We are working on holding a joint draft, but the remaining specifics — such as the draft order, rules and regulations, and schedule — are still under discussion and will be announced once finalized,” Chuang said.
The 10 teams include seven from the TPBL and three from the PLG, with the Kaohsiung Steelers the only exception.
The Steelers, which have been a PLG franchise since the 2021-2022 season, are reportedly being disbanded after failing to find a new sponsor.
On Tuesday, Chuang Chao-sheng, who just completed his rookie season with the Steelers, officially joined the Tainan TSG GhostHawks.
However, during a livestream on Wednesday following the announcement, TPBL commentator Hu Chun-chi said that it might still be too early to say the collaboration is settled, adding that “anything can happen before the pact is inked.”
Hu’s comment brought to mind the summer of last year, when all 11 teams from the two leagues announced plans to pursue a merger — only for the talks to fall through.
Since the establishment of the T1 League — the predecessor of the TPBL — in 2021, when the two leagues combined for 12 franchises, concerns have lingered over market oversaturation, limited talent and a lack of variety in match-ups.
If all teams play one another in the next season, there could be up to 45 match-ups in the regular season — up from 21 in the TPBL and six in the PLG during the 2024-2025 season.
Many fans also look forward to the possibility of former NBA combo guard Jeremy Lin and Lin “The Beast” Chih-chieh, widely regarded as an all-time great in Taiwanese basketball history, facing off in what could be their final season.
In late March, Lin Chih-chieh re-signed with Taipei Fubon for one more year. Jeremy Lin, who just led the New Taipei Kings to the TPBL’s inaugural championship, has yet to announce his next move.
Kaohsiung Aquas executive officer Wilson Lee said in a VideoSports program in late May that the ongoing talks mark the third straight year that franchise owners from the two leagues have negotiated either a merger or collaboration, and that both sides have “cut into the topic much more directly.”
Chuang Chao-sheng said he believes the two leagues are “heading in the right direction,” adding that a second face-to-face meeting is scheduled for later this month.
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
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
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
RSS