PBA SET FOR DUBAI RETURN AS PART OF 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

AS part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the PBA is bound to take its act to Dubai once more.

Commissioner Willie Marcial held a meeting with Dubai organizers this week after visiting the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates to support Meralco's campaign in the Basketball Champions League Asia.

READ: Meralco exits BCL Asia after blowing double-digit lead vs Broncos

The league has yet to make an official statement about Marcial's Dubai meeting, although SPIN.ph learned from sources the league will be holding regular games in the country during its golden anniversary season.

The PBA posted on its social media Marcial in the company of Dubai Basketball Development Manager Ellie Flemings and Coca Cola Arena Dubai General Manager Mark Jan Kar.

PBA's history with Dubai

Dubai has hosted several PBA games in the past.

The last of those series of games came during the 2019 Governors' Cup featuring NLEX, San Miguel, and Barangay Ginebra led by now-naturalized player Justin Brownlee.

Back in 2022, the league was also invited to hold games in the country as part of the Dubai Expo 2020 celebration. But the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the country back then forced the league to politely beg off from the invite.

The PBA also once mulled over holding the annual All-Star weekend in Dubai, but possible logistical problems also led to the postponement of staging the mid-season classic in the Middle East.

2025-06-15T06:18:15Z