Taiwan's pro basketball scene to remain divided in 2025-26 season

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) The Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) said Thursday night that it has ended all talks of collaboration or a merger with the P.LEAGUE+ (PLG).

In a statement, the TPBL said it will focus on preparing for the upcoming season and cease negotiations with the PLG after the latter failed to respond to its requests by Thursday.

One week ago, the TPBL accused the PLG of breaching a prior agreement by pursuing the inclusion of a fourth team, the Hung Kuo Elephants, during merger discussions.

The TPBL currently comprises seven teams, while the PLG has three.

According to the statement, the TPBL had asked the PLG to clarify its outreach to a fourth team, agree to the formation of a joint task force for a unified league, and commit to a merger by the 2026-27 season.

"However, after a week of communication and waiting, the TPBL has not received any concrete response from the PLG," the league said. "Instead, the PLG said only that it wanted to focus on collaboration and requested an extension, without addressing its breach of the original understanding."

The TPBL said it "has tried everything it could" and expressed regret over the stalled progress, but added that it remains "open and pragmatic" toward any future proposals that would benefit the industry and fans of the sport.

Soon after the TPBL statement -- and exactly one week one issued on July 24 -- the PLG rejected the accusations, stating it never committed to refraining from adding new franchises "in any meeting or letter of intent."

The PLG added that the Hung Kuo Elephants had communicated with both leagues, and accused the TPBL of backtracking on their mutual letter of intent by unilaterally ending the talks and insisting on a full merger.

The PLG is open to collaboration and does not rule out discussions on the two leagues' regulations, as it supports the integration of domestic basketball resources, the league said.

On July 25, Hung Kuo said it aimed to obtain the consent of both leagues before formally joining, and intended to spend a year preparing for entry.

The team emphasized that its presence was meant to "facilitate interleague collaboration and shared growth, rather than create rivalry or division."

Still, the TPBL announced on Friday that its annual draft will be held on Aug. 11 at the Grand Hilai Taipei, with player registration open until Tuesday.