The PBA has suspended their 3X3 operations, which might be good.
I am guessing that the PBA D-League would be next.
While the loss of the 3X3 is unfortunate, it’s also a valid move. The PBA has spread its wings too thin.
Here are the non-PBA teams that have participated in the games since the 2021 PBA 3X3 season:
MCFASOLVER TECH CENTRALE
PIONEER ELASTOSEAL KATIBAYS
WILCON DEPOT 3X3
J&T EXPRESS
PLATINUM KARAOKE
MASTER SARDINES FISHING CHAMPS
SISTA SUPER SEALERS
ZAMBOANGA VALIENTES
If you’re a casual PBA fan, you don’t even know half of these teams were part of the 3X3 grind.
Here are the teams that have participated in the PBA D-League since the 2023 season:
CCI-YENGSKIVEL CRUSADERS (2024)
CEU SCORPIONS (2024)
ECOOIL – DLSU GREEN ARCHERS (2024)
GO TORAKKU – ST. CLARE SAINTS (2024)
KEANZEL BELIEVERS (2024)
MARINERONG PILIPINO SKIPPERS – SAN BEDA RED LIONS (2024)
WANG’S BASKETBALL – LETRAN KNIGHTS
PSP GYMERS
PERPETUAL ALTAS
AMA ONLINE EDUCATION TITANS
Of the ten D-League teams, seven of them are identified with a college team.
If you think about it, who exactly is the PBA D-League developing? Since its inception in 2011, the PBA affiliate shtick has not really worked. While yeah, the MVP group has used the league properly, and the league became the starting point of eventual PBA teams like Blackwater and NLEX, it’s not like it matters in the PBA’s scheme of things.
In the inaugural season, I questioned the idea of the Cafe France Bakers, which was Air21’s PBA D-League affiliate. The reason is that Cafe France is a team composed of CEU Scorpions. How can Air21 use the developmental system if their roster is exclusively college players who cannot be called up unless they take part in the PBA Draft? This is not like when the MVP group sent Pamboy Raymundo and Borgie Hermida to NLEX, or when Pong Escobal played for Fruitas, or even when Reil Cervantes played for Blackwater in their inaugural lineup and was one of their players when the team was elevated to the main league. Air21, besides the affiliate tag, had nothing to do with the league.
At the moment, the league is made up of college teams. The D-League has become a developmental for college teams, and I really thought the PBA should have known better. Now, the D-League is barely attracting former PBA players and even veteran free agents.
Also, what good is a developmental league if the PBA teams can't shake off their "farm team" tag? When the PBA On Tour was introduced last year, it gave the fans a hint of the players they "hid" from the people like Ginebra's Ralph Cu and Kim Aurin, NLEX's Dominick Fajardo and Francis Giusanni, and even Northport's Letran recruits like Fran Yu and Tommy Olivario, Converge's Jolo Mendoza, and TNT's OJT trio of Damie Cuntapay, Peter Alfaro, and Cliff Jopia. Except for Giusanni, and Alfaro, who finished his NCAA eligibility with a championship, these players were either drafted by their PBA On Tour squads or found roster spots in other teams.
And it’s not like the college teams that are playing in the semi-pro leagues are benefiting immensely. Yes, the DLSU squad that won the most recent PBA D-League Aspirants Cup is also expected to win the next UAAP season, but what about the players? It’s a known fact that players who play a different system in the UAAP or NCAA and who play with entirely different coaching systems in the PBL or PBA D-League are better acquainted with the PBA wear and tear. Allein Maliksi, the first-ever PBA D-League MVP, would have regressed as a player if he played in the D-League as part of the UST Growling Tigers. For one thing, the system is not based on his talents. And the other thing is he would have been just the sub for Dylan Ababou. Back in the PBL, Nino Gelig played in the same team as Cyrus Baguio and Magnum Membrere played in the same team as LA Tenorio. Gelig and Membrere would have developed further if they worked on their game apart from their college teammates and coaches. The PBA D-League is also instrumental to the careers of Justin Chua, who was relegated to Greg Slaughter’s backup in Ateneo, and Jason Perkins, who was relegated to Ben Mbala’s sub during his final year in DLSU.
The rise of the MPBL, as well as the other leagues like the National Basketball League, FilBasket, and Pilipinas Super League, has made the PBA D-League virtually irrelevant. Even if these are college teams, their attendance isn’t as high as your average non-SMC PBA game.
Hell, the 3X3 tournament has more potential PBA players than the PBA D-League tourney.
And why can't the other PBA D-League and PBA 3X3 franchises just buy stakes with a small-market PBA squad? One of the most important reasons why a top player gets transferred to a top team is that the small-market squad can't afford the top player. A secondary franchise owner could at least, ease some of this financial burden.
The 3X3 shouldn’t be played in malls in the middle of the afternoon. The games should be held in between PBA games. I know there are differences in rules as well as court size, but this is more of exposure and bang for the buck in terms of reasons why we need to watch more PBA games in the arena. It’s also a way to produce better online content.
The thing that One Sports did with the full game highlights is extremely helpful in terms of eyes on the product. Sending the PBA games to the provinces, and other non-Araneta and MOA Metro Manila coliseums is also a plus. A province game is an automatic attendance draw and the league just can’t say that they have to worry about the expenses. A simple Batangas or Cavite game is a better alternative than a playoff game held in Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
And in some ways, punishing the Metro Manila fans by relegating their arena presence to livestreams is a good thing, until they finally want to see the action live.
I know the 3X3 program is an important tool to develop basketball in the country further. However, the current PBA product needs to be the priority. Again, many things in the PBA as a whole need to be changed. I guess until the league irons out its kinks, they only need to concentrate on the main PBA league until they figure out what to do next.