BASKETBALL/PLG's Braves, Pilots, Steelers back out of merged league

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) The P.LEAGUE+'s (PLG) Taipei Fubon Braves, Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, and Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers on Monday withdrew from a proposed merger with the rival T1 League.

In a joint statement, the three teams said the decision not to participate in the new professional basketball league was tough but necessary.

The teams said that their bottom line was that the PLG was to be the main body of the merger, which was the consensus made by the six-team PLG internal meeting on June 26 and was verbally agreed on by the preparation committee.

"We negotiated in good faith to communicate a way to integrate by maintaining the autonomy of the PLG, or to retain the two-league structure with exchanges during match season, but could not reach an agreement," the statement said.

The three teams will stay in the PLG and will actively prepare for the new PLG match season, striving to protect the people, players, passion, professionalism and principles of the PLG, said the statement.

The merger to form an 11-team league with a five-team T1 League was proposed on June 22. The two leagues had also agreed to hold a combined draft on July 15.

After dropping out from the merger, the three teams also announced to hold an independent draft on July 12.

Meanwhile, Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄), a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, has been appointed as president of the newly merged league, according to the merger preparation committee.

Chuang stated that he was honored and would do his best to lead the league to the next stage.