BASKETBALL/Taiwan's two pro basketball leagues eye collaboration in 2025-26 season

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Taiwan's professional basketball landscape is expected to become more integrated as P.LEAGUE+ (PLG) and the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) plan to collaborate in the 2025-26 season.

The 10 teams from the two leagues met on Wednesday and "reached a consensus to collaborate," TPBL Commissioner Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said at an ad-hoc press conference in Taipei that day.

All teams have received a letter of intent, and more than half have responded to the initiative.

"We are working on holding a joint draft, but the remaining specifics -- such as the draft order, rules and regulations, and schedule -- are still under discussion and will be announced once finalized," Chuang said.

The 10 teams include seven from the TPBL and three from the PLG, with the Kaohsiung Steelers the only exception.

The Steelers, which have been a PLG franchise since the 2021-22 season, are reportedly being disbanded after failing to find a new sponsor.

On Tuesday, Chuang Chao-sheng (莊朝勝), who just completed his rookie season with the Steelers, officially joined the Tainan TSG GhostHawks.

However, during a livestream on Wednesday following the announcement, TPBL commentator Hu Chun-chi (胡鈞期) noted that it might still be too early to say the collaboration is settled, adding that "anything can happen before the pact is inked."

Hu's comment brought to mind the summer of 2024, when all 11 teams from the two leagues announced plans to pursue a merger -- only for the talks to fall through.

Since the establishment of the T1 LEAGUE -- the predecessor of the TPBL -- in 2021, when the two leagues combined for 12 franchises, concerns have lingered over market oversaturation, limited talent, and a lack of variety in match-ups.

If all teams play one another in the next season, there could be up to 45 match-ups in the regular season -- up from 21 in the TPBL and six in the PLG during the 2024-25 season.

Many fans also look forward to the possibility of former NBA combo guard Jeremy Lin (林書豪) and "The Beast" Lin Chih-chieh (林志傑), widely regarded as an all-time great in Taiwanese basketball history, facing off in what could be their final season.

In late March, Lin Chih-chieh re-signed with Taipei Fubon for one more year. Jeremy Lin, who just led the New Taipei Kings to the TPBL's inaugural championship, has yet to announce his next move.

Wilson Lee (李偉誠), executive officer of the Kaohsiung Aquas, said in a VideoSports program in late May that the ongoing talks mark the third straight year that franchise owners from both leagues have negotiated either a merger or collaboration, and that both sides have "cut into the topic much more directly."

Chuang Chao-sheng said he believes the two leagues are "heading in the right direction," noting that a second face-to-face meeting is scheduled for late July.