The East Asia Super League (EASL) season is to open on Oct. 8 with games in Taipei and Tokyo, as the young league continues to expand across the region.
Fans in Taipei are to see a doubleheader at Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium featuring the 2024-2025 P.League+ champions Taoyuan Pauian Pilots and runners-up the Taipei Fubon Braves taking on two Japanese powerhouses, the EASL said yesterday.
The Braves are to host the Utsunomiya Brex, the reigning B.League champions, while the Pilots are set to face the Ryukyu Golden Kings in a rematch of last season’s EASL final.
Ryukyu secured their berth by winning Japan’s Emperor’s Cup, becoming the nation’s third team alongside the Brex and B.League runners-up Alvark Tokyo.
The New Taipei Kings of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League are the third team from Taiwan in the EASL. They are to debut on Oct. 22 against Alvark.
The upcoming season is to feature 12 teams competing for the title and US$1 million in prize money over 42 games.
Having expanded from eight teams in its inaugural season to 10 last year, the league is to be divided into three groups for the first time.
The other participating teams are the Seoul SK Knights and the Changwon LG Sakers of the Korean Basketball League, the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association, Hong Kong Eastern, the Macau Black Bears and Mongolia’s Xac Broncos.
The Tokyo opener is to mark the league’s first-ever game in Japan’s capital, where Alvark are to host the Broncos at Keio Arena Tokyo in both teams’ EASL debuts.
The expansion would also have the league stage group games on weekends for the first time, having previously limited them to Wednesdays to avoid clashing with domestic league schedules.
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