BASKETBALL/PLG, T1 join up to form 11-team league

Taipei, June 27 (CNA) Taiwan's two professional basketball leagues, the P.LEAGUE+ (PLG) and T1 League, said Wednesday that they will merge, bringing their combined 11 teams together for a brand new season.

The PLG, which was formed one year ahead of the T1 in 2020, made the announcement shortly after PLG Chairman Richard Chang (張嗣漢) held a meeting with the league's six teams to discuss the merger.

The PLG's Fubon Braves and Taoyuan Pauian Pilots were initially not on board with the idea to form an integrated franchise with the T1's five teams.

After negotiations with its teams, however, the PLG announced that all of its members had agreed to team up with the T1 to form a new league, with the aim of starting a new season by the end of 2024.

All 11 teams in the new franchise will be invited to discuss the workings of the new league, the PLG said in a social media post.

After the PLG's announcement, the T1 also posted on social media, saying that its mission since its inception in 2021 has always been the advocacy of basketball in Taiwan. As such, the T1 said, its five teams have responded to the call for a new league, to help advance basketball in Taiwan.

The 11 teams that will be in the new league are the PLG's Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, Formosa Dreamers, New Taipei Kings, Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers, Fubon Braves and Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers, along with the T1's New Taipei CTBC DEA, Taiwan Beer Leopards, Kaohsiung Aquas, Taipei Taishin Mars and Tainan TSG GhostHawks.

The proposal for a new pro-basketball league was first announced by New Taipei Kings' Chairman Walter Wang (王文祥) on June 22, two days after his team won its first PLG championship.

Initially, Wang had said that the new league would comprise at least 10 professional teams, including one from Southeast Asia.

In response, Taiwan's Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) said on June 24 that it was committed to facilitating the integration of the two leagues.