The Seoul SK Knights and Anyang Jeongwanjang Red Boosters, who will represent the KBL in the East Asian Super League (EASL) for the 2023-2024 season, will play their first games on October 18 and 25, respectively.
Seoul SK, 텍사스홀덤 who are in Group B, will open their campaign at Okinawa Arena against the Ryukyu Golden Kings of Japan’s B.LEAGUE on October 18 at 7 p.m., while Anyang Jeongwanjang, who are in Group A, will host the Taipei Fubon Braves of Taiwan’s P.LEAGUE+ on October 25 at 7 p.m. at Anyang Gymnasium.
The East Asian Super League (EASL) 2023-2024 season, which kicked off on October 11, will feature home-and-away group stage matches until February 7 next year, with games being played every Wednesday. The ‘Final Four’, where the top two teams from each group will advance, will take place on March 8-10 next year, with a prize pool of US$1 million for the winner, US$500,000 for the runner-up and US$250,000 for the third-place team.
Seoul SK’s match against the Ryukyu Golden Kings on October 18 will be streamed live on SPOTV, while all East Asian Super League (EASL) matches will be available on SPOTV NOW.
Tickets for East Asian Super League (EASL) games in Korea can be purchased through the KBL’s unified website, with tickets for the Oct. 25 game between the Anyang Chungjang and Taipei Fubon Braves in Anyang opening at 10 a.m. on Oct. 18.
Group A features KBL champion Anyang Jeongguanjang Red Boosters, Japan B League runner-up Chiba Jets, Philippines PBA Governors’ Cup winner TNT Tropang Giga, and Taiwan’s P.League+ champion Fubon Brace. In Group B, KBL runner-up Seoul SK Knights, B-League champion Ryukyu Golden Kings, P.League+ runner-up New Taipei Kings, and the PBA’s Meralco Bolts will replace former Barangay Hinebra San Miguel.
The main attraction is NBA player Jeremy Lin. Jeremy Lin plays with his younger brother Joseph Lin for the New Taipei Kings and competes in the East Asian Super League (EASL). With SK in a group with the New Taipei Kings, the matchup between Kim and Jeremy Lin will be interesting to watch. SK and the New Taipei Kings will meet for the first time on November 8 at Xinjiang Gymnasium in Taiwan and again on January 31 at Jamsil Student Gymnasium.
When announcing the schedule, East Asia Super League (EASL) CEO Matt Beyer said, “Asian basketball fans will be able to see intense matches between the top basketball clubs in East Asia. The EASL 2023-24 schedule will fulfill our goal of determining the strongest basketball club in East Asia.”
“FIBA Asia is excited about the EASL 23-24 season,” said Hagop Kazarian, FIBA Asia Secretary General. We are one step closer to our long-standing goal of creating an international basketball club competition in the East Asian region. FIBA wishes the best of luck to all the clubs participating in this journey.”
“We are confident that Korean basketball fans will be mesmerized by the journey of the Anyang Jungkwanjang Red Boosters and Seoul SK Knights in EASL Season 2. We look forward to seeing them take on some of the best teams in East Asia and, of course, we expect them to bring the trophy home to Korea once again following their success in EASL Season 1.”
Shinji Shimada, President of the B League, added: “The Ryukyu Golden Kings and Chiba Jets will represent the B League in the upcoming East Asia Super League. We look forward to their success on the Asian stage. We also hope that all the participating teams will showcase the appeal of Asian basketball to the rest of the world.”
P.LEAGUE+ President Charles Chen said, “Taiwanese basketball fans have been waiting for years for the opportunity to watch and cheer on top teams from other leagues in East Asia on the international stage. The Braves and Kings are ready to rise to the challenge.”