East Asia Super League Season 2 contenders Bay Area Dragons will make Hong Kong their home in 2023-24, bringing an unprecedented series of elite club basketball games to the city.

The team will also once again compete for honors in the Philippines, entering the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup for a second time in 2023-24.

The Dragons will play home games at Southorn Stadium in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district. This will include three EASL group stage games, against Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, Japan B.LEAGUE 2022-23 champions Ryukyu Golden Kings, and Korean Basketball League 2022-23 and EASL Champions Week runners-up Seoul SK Knights.

Hong Kong will also stage the Dragons’ home games in the 2024 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. The team is entering the Philippine championship after a remarkable first campaign in 2022-23, when they made it all the way to Game 7 of the Finals. Participation in the Commissioner’s Cup means the Dragons will also spend portions of the season in Manila.

The Dragons’ 2023-24 fixture list represents the strongest line-up of professional basketball games ever staged in Hong Kong. It also gives Hong Kong fans a rare opportunity to cheer on a home team in elite-level international sports competition.

Announcing the Dragons’ new base in Hong Kong, EASL CEO and co-founder Matt Beyer said, “We expect the Dragons to bring Hongkongers immense excitement, inspiration and pride. Dragons’ games will be the hottest sports tickets in town.”

The Dragons squad for 2023-24 is currently being assembled. It will include Chinese stars Zhu Songwei and Liu Chuanxing, who played with the team in 2022-23. Several other players from last season will return, including Team Hong Kong captain Duncan Reid and former South China standout Glen Yang.

Commenting on the Dragons’ new base in his home city, Reid said, “It’s amazing. We’ve never had such a high-level team in Hong Kong. We’ve never had professional teams coming here at this level to play – the top teams in Asia coming here … This is a real breakthrough for Hong Kong basketball.”

The Dragons have history with all three opponents in the EASL Season 2 group stage. Ginebra were the team’s opponents in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioners’ Cup Finals, where they pushed the Philippine giants to Game 7 before falling short. The Dragons played against Japanese champs the Golden Kings in 2023 EASL Champions Week Third-Place Game, beating the hosts to take bronze. In the same tournament, the Dragons lost to SK Knights in a tightly-contested group stage battle.

“This is a revenge group for us,” Reid said. “Me and the guys have been talking about it. We’re really excited to be competing against these teams. We know them, and we have some scores to settle. So, I’ll just say that. We’re coming for blood this year.”

The team’s return to the Philippines is sure to excite local fans. The Dragons, playing as a guest team, won many admirers with their performances last season, in which they topped the Commissioner’s Cup regular season standings. In the playoffs, they became the first guest team since 1980 to appear in the PBA Finals, where they took tournament favorites Ginebra all the way to the final game. Over 54,500 fans poured into the Philippine Arena, world’s largest indoor arena, to watch the deciding Game 7, setting the highest attendance record in a PBA finals game set back in 2017. Philippine sides will be keen to test their mettle in a second season.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said, “The PBA is very excited about adding in a Hong Kong element to our upcoming Commissioner’s Cup, and we look forward to the Bay Area Dragons team re-joining the PBA.”

The Dragons will continue to be led in 2023-24 by Head Coach Brian Goorjian, supported by General Manager Liu Quansheng, Vice General Manager Garrison Guo, Assistant Coaches William Tomlinson and Jimmy Li, and strength and conditioning coach Francesco Berre.

“We’re coming home,” Dragons’ Assistant Coach Li said. “This is our home court, and we’re ready to do everything we can to protect our home court. That’s really exciting and playing in a stadium that’s going to fill up with the supporters, that’s something we didn’t have in Manila, so we are just really looking forward to it.”

Elite basketball arrives in Hong Kong

Hong Kong basketball is set for an unprecedented boost in 2023-24 as the Dragons play in the city. The sport has a strong local following, but the domestic game has always been limited by its small catchment area.

Hong Kong has a professional basketball league in the Hong Kong A1 Division Championship (HKA1), that was founded in 1954. Ten teams currently participate. South China has the most titles, with 13 under its belt.

The Dragons are operating in Hong Kong under a partnership with A1 team Chun Yu Basketball Club. Under the partnership, the official name of the team will be Chun Yu Bay Area Dragons.

Chun Yu is one of the leading domestic clubs in the city and an important local node in developing basketball talent. It operates teams at different age levels and has programs that secure overseas playing experience for Hong Kong talent.

Sherman Yeung, President of Chun Yu Basketball Club, said, “The Chun Yu Basketball Club has a long tradition in Hong Kong, and we are excited to support the Bay Area Dragons in bringing a new level of international club basketball to Hong Kong.”

Through Chun Yu Basketball Club, and also thanks to official recognition from the Hong Kong Basketball Association, the Dragons will be plugged into Hong Kong’s youth basketball scene and will play a powerful role in supporting it. Plans are underway for clinics and workshops led by Dragons players and coaches, to educate and inspire local athletes, promising youth talent and coaches.

Local Dragons man Duncan Reid said, “I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of clinics and events. I’m really excited to help bridge that gap. We have so many great guys on this team that [it] is really going to benefit Hong Kong basketball.”

The Dragons will also be continuing their track record of community outreach, with plans to connect with and support local community groups and charities in Hong Kong. When based in Manila last year, the team were involved in several successful initiatives with local charities as well as with the Chinese embassy.