by Dave Albarado
The B-League is showing the PBA how to become a real international league
The Japanese B-League is a product of the reorganization of Japanese basketball that was in shambles more than a decade ago. Now, the league is staking its claim to become a truly international league with its various gimmicks and programs aimed to entice the fans in the greater Asian sphere.
The PBA should wake up and learn from what the B-League is doing in order to reawaken the interest of the fans and to let in more fans from other countries.
The B-League has already enticed fans by getting Asian imports not just from the Philippines, but also from China and Korea as well. This is a marketing ploy to make the league known not just domestically but throughout the continent.
In the B-League’s All-Star Game in January 2021, there will be a special game featuring Asian Rising Stars and Japanese Rising Stars. Of course, we have seen this in European and American soccer (football). Leagues are linked via a continental federation like the United European Football Association (UEFA), which allows the transfer, sale and trading of players from one national league to another. An example is Cristiano Ronaldo, who left Juventus which is based in Italy—and plays in the Serie A—to the English Premier League side of Manchester United. The system in Europe allows national leagues in different countries to exchange or get players. This can happen in Asian basketball, which can be great when it comes to improving the level of competition in the continent.
We all know that Asia is not at par with America or Europe in terms of basketball skills and level. Allowing more foreign players to play in leagues around Asia will help improve the level and play style of Asians in basketball.
This is something that the PBA should be adopting. We have proposed in our previous column to allow more naturalized players as young as 15 to play in the junior semi pro league in the country. This way we will have naturalized players who can play as locals for Batang Gilas. These players will also have an option to play as Asian imports in Asian leagues or even imports in Europe, Australia or even crack the NBA.
The PBA should come out from its shell and finally smell the roses. Its very existence hangs in the balance. The way the B-League is being handled is a good example for the PBA.
Having a pan-ASEAN league like the Asean Basketball League is great but expensive—it would be better to make the Asia Super League more solid.