Hot off the unveiling of its new logo earlier this week, the ASEAN Basketball League announced the teams that will be participating in the 2013 season. The League also revealed the new schedule and some exciting changes in the League format for the upcoming season.
“The ABL has made tremendous strides over the last three seasons,” said league co-founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes. “Watching the league grow and seeing the passion and love for the sport has been rewarding. I anxiously anticipate this coming season, it has a chance to be better than every other before it.”
Last season’s champions, the Indonesia Warriors, will be back to defend their title as well as runner ups the San Miguel Beermen. The two will face each other again in what is sure to be an explosive season opener on Friday the 11th of January 2013 in Jakarta. Before the game, the Warriors will be recognized for their championship victory of last season.
The Jobstreet.com Singapore Slingers will also be back after a busy off-season participating in the Cable Beach Invitational Tournament in Australia. The Slingers have also continued their efforts to promote the sport by running basketball clinics in Singapore over the past few months.
“It came down to the wire for us during the regular season. It was the first time the Slingers have missed out on the Playoffs since the League began and we’re looking to make sure that it’s also the last,” said Mark Chang, co-owner of the Singapore Slingers. “Our biggest commitment is to develop basketball in Singapore however and it’s fantastic to see our local boys playing more minutes and making significantly bigger contributions to the team every season.”
The Westports Malaysia Dragons will also be back to try and win their first title. The Dragons are fresh off an appearance in the Malaysia National Basketball League finals, and are certainly ready for the action.
Last season’s expansion team, the Saigon Heat will also be returning alongside ABL Champions from the 2010/2011 season, the Chang Thailand Slammers, who will look to rebound from a lackluster 2012 campaign.
“These teams are committed to the long term growth of our league, and we are happy to have them serve as the foundation for future success,” explained ABL CEO Anthony Macri. “We are more excited now than ever about the product we are putting on the floor, and the kind of in-game event experience each of our teams will provide for our fans.”
This season, every participant will play each other four times during the regular season. The four top ranked teams will then enter the Playoffs, which will now be decided by best of five Semifinals and Finals series. The 2013 ABL Champions will be crowned in June.
Selected ABL games will also be telecast live regionally every week on ESPN STAR Sports channels throughout the 2013 season. Fans can also tune in the ABL’s website on http://www.ASEANBasketballLeague.com/, where the league intends for all of the season’s games to be live-streamed.
“Every initiative we’ve taken is with the fans in mind,” Macri said. “We recognize the growth of digital media and that web-streamed games are a way for our fans to stay more connected to our teams.”
