A hoops war begins this weekend as the SBL tips off at New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang Gymnasium, ahead of the rival P.League+, which begins at the Changhua County Stadium on Dec. 19.
The SBL openers today see Taiwan Bank take on Pauian Archiland at 3pm, followed by the marquee matchup at 5:30pm between defending champions Taiwan Beer and last season’s losing finalists the Yulon Luxgen Dinos.
Jeoutai Technology, the fifth SBL team, formerly known as Kinmen Kaoliang, play their first game tomorrow against Taiwan Bank, also in Sinjhuang.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Among the new foreign players unveiled this week, the most prominent is former NBA player Rakeem Christmas of the Dinos.
The former Indiana Pacers player is engaged to Jasmine Jordan, the daughter of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. The couple had a baby last year.
Other Americans signed up for this season include J.D. Miller of Taiwan Beer, Branden Dawson of Jeoutai, Jordan Tolbert of Archiland and Zak Irvin of Taiwan Bank.
The SBL is starting its 18th season as the nation’s top basketball competition, but it has seen some of its clubs depart, with former champions the Dacin Tigers dropping out last year, as well as the Fubon Braves, who left at the end of last season.
The Braves have teamed up with the Formosa Dreamers — renamed the Taishin Dreamers — to create the P.League+, along with two other new clubs, the Taoyuan Pilots and the Hsinchu Lioneers.
CTBA secretary-general Lee Yi-chung said that the SBL teams would do their best to win over the fans and the league has chosen “Fight Back” as its new slogan.
Due to the challenge from the new league, the SBL has ended its practice of signing an exclusive broadcasting agreement with one TV network and this year has broadened its media outreach, Lee said.
SBL games are to be broadcast on the Public Television Service and Videoland Sports, as well as online platforms YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, camerabay.tv and Instagram, he said.
“The players need to be more competitive and improve their game to overcome the challenge of the new league,” Taiwan Beer point guard Chiang Yu-an told reporters on Tuesday. “We have to provide the fans with high-quality basketball and make progress in all aspects of the game, and if we can the results will be good for everyone.”
The SBL had been facing a crisis, with Kaohsiung-based Jeoutai and other teams threatening to leave and sign on with the new league.
With the basketball community divided into two independent leagues fighting for dwindling resources, it is likely only one could survive, commentators say.
Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday pulled off a major upset in the DFB-Pokal by defeating defending champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 in their semi-final. The third-division team came from behind after Jonathan Tah gave the visitors a 17th-minute lead. Marius Worl replied three minutes later and Maximilian Groser scored Bielefeld’s second goal just before the break. The home team looked more likely to add to that tally as the Leverkusen players looked jaded. “I’m just proud of this team,” Bielefeld coach Mitch Kniat said as most of the fans the small stadium sang around him. “No one will sleep in the city tonight.” Patrik Schick went
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have shown the team do not need star power to win trophies and with the French Ligue 1 title won with six games to spare, the French champions would look to finish the season without losing, manager Luis Enrique said on Saturday. A 1-0 victory over Angers SCO at the Parc des Princes helped PSG win their fourth straight Ligue 1 title and a record-extending 13th overall. PSG can still break Nantes’ 30-year-old record of 32 games unbeaten. Although Nantes lost one game en route to the title, no French club has ever gone an entire league
THREES KINGS: The Celtics claimed a piece of league history by setting a new record for the number of threes in a season, ending their game with 1,370 Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun on Friday combined for 65 points as the Houston Rockets halted Oklahoma City’s 11-game winning streak with a statement 125-111 victory. In a potential Western Conference finals preview, the Rockets produced a dominant all-round performance to jolt the top-seeded Thunder’s all-conquering preparations for the post-season. Green finished with 34 points from 11-of-24 shooting, while Turkish big man Sengun made 31 points as second-placed Houston improved to 51-27. Oklahoma City grabbed the lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter, but Houston soon knocked the Thunder out of their stride with a physical approach to move into the
RECORD WINNERS: The Catalan club, who are still in contention for a historic quadruple this season, are to face rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final Barcelona are to face rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final after Ferran Torres secured them a 1-0 win at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, progressing 5-4 on aggregate from the semi-final tie. Record 31-time winners Barca had the better of the clash at the Metropolitano after the wild 4-4 first-leg draw. The defeat leaves Diego Simeone’s Atletico with little to play for in the rest of the season. By contrast, the Catalans are on the hunt for a potential quadruple and are unbeaten this year, stretching their run to 21 games without defeat. Atletico were the last team to triumph