MANILA, Philippines — Hong Kong Eastern and the Macau Black Bears will compete in the East Asia Super League 2024-25 Season, in a major expansion of East Asia's professional club basketball championship.

The teams will play their home games in Hong Kong and Macau, respectively, bringing a full season of EASL action to the Greater Bay Area for the first time.

The addition of Hong Kong Eastern and the Macau Black Bears increases the number of competing teams in the EASL 2024-25 Season from eight to ten teams, and ramps up representation from Greater China.

The Hong Kong and Macau sides will face off against the best teams from Taiwan, Japan, Korea and the Philippines, to decide East Asia's champion.

Eastern are one of Hong Kong's most storied teams and are the reigning domestic champions. The team won their third domestic A1 Division title in 2023. They are also a two-time winner of the ASEAN Basketball League (2016-17 and 2023).

Eastern have been placed into Group A for the 2024-25 Season Group Stage, in which they will play against B.LEAGUE champions the Hiroshima Dragonflies, Korean Basketball League (KBL) runners-up the Suwon KT Sonicboom, P. LEAGUE+ runners-up the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, and PBA Governors' Cup champions the San Miguel Beermen.

Macau Black Bears were formed in 2018 as Macau's first-ever professional team. The team are the reigning Macau basketball league champions and have also represented the region in the ASEAN Basketball League and The Asia Tournament.

The Black Bears have been placed into Group B for the 2024-25 Season Group Stage, in which they will play against B.LEAGUE runners-up the Ryukyu Golden Kings, KBL champions the Busan KCC Egis, P.LEAGUE+ champions the New Taipei Kings, and PBA Philippine Cup champions the Meralco Bolts.

Full details on the matchups for the EASL 2024-25 Season will be unveiled when the game schedule is announced in the coming weeks. The arena venues for the home games of Eastern and the Black Bears will also be announced soon.

EASL CEO Henry Kerins said "EASL is getting bigger and it's getting better. It was always our ambition to expand and bring in more leagues, representing more regions in Asia. We have accelerated those plans due to the strong demand from the regional leagues to join, and their readiness to do so."

"The 2024-25 Season now includes two powerful teams from two amazing cities, in one of the biggest basketball markets in the world – China's Greater Bay Area. Both teams have great ownership and ambitions to be major brands in Asian basketball. Fans are in for incredible clashes next year as Hong

Kong Eastern and the Macau Black Bears take to the court against our existing line-up of amazing teams from Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea and the Philippines."

Hong Kong Eastern Team Leader Mr. Wilson Choi said, "Hong Kong has been striving hard for a professional basketball team to represent the city at the highest level. Now, Hong Kong Eastern will do that, as we take on East Asia's best teams in the EASL 2024-25 Season. Eastern wants to be a major force in Asian basketball and to put Hong Kong on the map as a basketball powerhouse."

Macau Black Bears' Lukas Peng said, "The Black Bears showed their strength in the ABL in recent years. We are investing so we can compete more strongly and challenge the best teams in Asia in EASL. We are proud to represent Macau and the wider Greater Bay Area in the EASL 2024-25 Season."

After its groundbreaking first season in 2023-24, EASL is preparing to make history again in 2024-25. The game schedule will set out an epic series of matches across some of the greatest cities and biggest basketball markets in East Asia.

EASL will also be announcing commercial partnerships with a host of brands and broadcasters. The league presents a unique opportunity for commercial partners to align with the most exciting new professional sports project in Asia and to access the region's massive, youthful and growing basketball audience.

An expanded series of broadcast and streaming partnerships will enable more fans than ever, in East Asia and around the world, to watch live as the best teams and players in the region clash for the championship in 2024-25. TMT

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