(PBA image)
The Macau Black Bears are officially headed to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, adding an international edge to the mid-season conference as the league welcomes another foreign guest squad.
PBA officials and the Macau-based club formalized the Black Bears’ participation on Friday with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement in Macau, clearing the way for the team’s entry in the conference scheduled to tip off on March 11.
Present at the signing were PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial and PBA Board Vice Chairman Alfrancis Chua, who personally met with the Black Bears’ management to seal the deal.
The Black Bears will compete as a special guest team in the Commissioner’s Cup, becoming the third foreign squad to join the tournament in recent seasons, following the Bay Area Dragons in Season 47 and Hong Kong Eastern in Season 48.
Marcial said the same concessions previously granted to those teams will also apply to Macau, ensuring a level playing field for the visiting club.
A regular presence in regional competitions, the Macau Black Bears have built a reputation across Asia through stints in the now-defunct ASEAN Basketball League and ongoing campaigns in the East Asia Super League and other Asian tournaments.
Their roster features several familiar names, including prolific point guard Damian Chongqui, Omari Peek-Green, Phoenix Shackelford, and towering 7-foot-6 center Sam Deguara, with Garrett Kelly serving as head coach.
With the Black Bears joining the fray, the Commissioner’s Cup is shaping up to be another test of depth and adaptability for PBA teams, as the league once again opens its doors to high-level international competition under the banner of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup and the Philippine Basketball Association.