Blackwater Sports, Kia could join the PBA next year
From ten teams, the PBA could have a total of 12 next season as two companies have expressed interest in joining Asia’s oldest professional basketball league.
“Our office has received two formal letters of intent to join the PBA in its 2015 season: Columbia Automotive Corporation (Team KIA) and Ever Bilena Inc. (Blackwater Sports),” said PBA Commissioner Chito Salud.
“Their admission as new franchise holders is subject to a 3/4 approval by the Board of Governors after evaluation of their financial capacity, among others, by the Commissioner and the recommendation resulting from such assessment.”
Blackwater Sports had some success in the D-League as they won a championship there. Team Kia on the other hand is a wild card as no one exactly knows who will be the people running the team.
GlobalPort Batang Pier, the last team to join the PBA, first tried to be an expansion team. However, owner Mikee Romero saw an opening and bought the Powerade Tigers instead.
As expansion teams, Blackwater Sports and Team Kia will be allowed to directly hire players. However, they will still need to travel a long road before they officially join the PBA. Also, most of the country’s best players are already signed with current PBA powerhouse teams so it will be difficult for the two teams to compete from the start.
Another D-League team, the NLEX Road Warriors have long been rumored as a squad also considering heading into the pros. NLEX, which is also owned by Manny V. Pangilinan, has featured some of the best amateurs in the country. They have won five titles in the D-League and call current PBA players Calvin Abueva, Cliff Hodge, Chris Ellis, Ian Sangalang, and Greg Slaughter as alumni.
They dropped only one title in the D-League’s history which was to Blackwater.
