East Asia Super League return to Macau

Article posted by Coliseum, November 4^th, 2024

Image: EASL

The East Asia Super League (EASL) 2024-2025 seasons has returned to Macau (special administrative region of China).

‘MacauDaily Times’ stated that the Macanese professional basketball team Macau Black Bears lost by just 3 points (93-96) in their second East Asia Super League game against the Japanese professional basketball team Ryukyu Golden Kings on October 30^th.

Playing for the first time on home ground at the Seer Arena in Studio City Macau, the Bears dominated – albeit by a small margin – the first three quarters of the game. However, a series of errors at the start of the fourth quarter jeopardized the consistent performance they had established in the earlier periods.

The East Asia Super League (EASL) is an international basketball league featuring clubs from Japan, South Korea, Philippines, and Taiwan. It was founded in 2015 and is based in Hong Kong (special administrative region of China).

The Ryukyu Golden Kings are a Japanese professional basketball team based in Okinawa City, Okinawa (Japan). They compete in the B.League, the top-tier professional basketball league of Japan. They play their home games at the 10,000-capacity Okinawa Arena.

The Studio City is a hotel casino resort on the Cotai Strip in Cotai, Macau. The Hollywood studio-themed leisure resort is the first in Asia to integrate television and film production facilities, retail, gaming, and hotels. It is majority-owned by the Melco Resorts and Entertainment and its subsidiary Studio City International Holdings Limited (SCIHL). Its two towers are connected by the world’s first and highest figure-8 ferris wheel.

The Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited is a developer, owner and operator of integrated resorts with entertainment and casino gaming facilities in Asia and Europe and is based in Hong Kong.

‘MacauDaily Times’ further stated that three more games will be held at Macau’s Studio City Event Center, as per the EASL and Melco Resorts & Entertainment (Melco).

This return is part of a renewed partnership between the EASL and Melco.

The ‘EASL Clash of Champions’ event will take place for the second consecutive year in Macau with the organizers noting their mission to diversify the tourism market and further enhance Macau’s development as a ‘City of Sports’.

Exulted Henry Kerins, EASL Chief Executive Officer (CEO), “The EASL is excited to extend its long history and partnership with the Melco Resorts & Entertainment and to bring five of Asia’s best basketball teams to Macau. The EASL games provide unique sports entertainment experiences and Studio City creates the perfect stage. This is going to be an amazing atmosphere for our Macau and Greater Bay Area basketball fans.”

Representing Melco, the Senior Vice-President and Property General Manager of Studio City, Kevin Benning, said, “Melco is committed to delivering diversified world-class entertainment options to our guests. We are thrilled to be working with the EASL to entertain the sports fans with premier Asian basketball at Studio City as we bring more sports and entertainment to our beautiful City.”

The Studio City Event Center will act as the home venue for the defending Macau champions, the Macau Black Bears, who enter EASL’s 2024-2025 seasons as one of the league’s two expansion teams.

On November 6^th, the Busan KCC Egis (South Korea) will travel to Macau.

The third match of the four-match series is scheduled for December 11^th when the Bears face the P.LEAGUE+ (Taiwan) winners, the New Taipei Kings.

Another match on the same day will feature P.LEAGUE+ runners-up, the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, taking on the Korean Basketball League runners-up, the Suwon KT Sonic Boom.

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