There’s still more than a month left before the start of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup, but the competition is taking shape. 

The Macau Black Bears will be the third guest team since 2022, succeeding the Bay Area Dragons and the Hong Kong Eastern in playing in the PBA conference where import rules are more liberal. The Black Bears aren’t really a pushover team, as they were invited to play in the competitive East Asian Super League (EASL), but they were winless in this most recent campaign. 

Having a guest team is by no means a small feat as it signals interest to partake despite what others might say about the league. Based on their recent performances, it’s likely that Macau will be closer to Hong Kong Eastern than the Dragons, but we could be in for a surprise when the Black Bears finalize their roster. After all, there are talented players who would jump at the opportunity to play in a basketball-crazed country like the Philippines. 

For all their shortcomings, the PBA has been generally great at managing its relationships with international stakeholders. They have held games in the Middle East and they have spoken with regional leagues on a range of topics. EASL participation is one of the fruits of these conversations and at one point in time, the league had two teams in the EASL (but that was also the time there were more teams than wins). Yes, the league has made some controversial decisions, but the PBA has nonetheless kept an open line with their peers. 

All things considered, opportunities are there for the taking. The relationships can create pathways for players and even exhibition games between leagues, especially when both leagues have Filipino players in them. Another possibility is the PBA opening doors for Gilas Pilipinas to conduct tuneup games with professional teams, which is something they already did with Macau prior to the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. This would, of course, create some contradictions given the league’s current stance on Filipino players abroad, but why not extend an olive branch by playing more basketball? 

It’s easy to come up with these suggestions from an outsider’s perspective, but the intention is clear: we can’t let these chances pass by. There are those that feel the PBA has fallen behind, and while that has its merits, there is still time to catch up. The arenas can still be filled (though not as much) and the following is international thanks in large part to the OFWs. The partners are there and they are more than willing to join conferences and host games in venues beyond our waters. Everyone has extended their hands and the PBA simply has to continue reaching out to them.