The Taipei Fubon Braves Set to Chase P. LEAGUE+ Three-Peat

The Taipei Fubon Braves have undoubtedly been the face of the P. LEAGUE+ winning the first two championships in league history consecutively. The first season, the Braves dominated the league losing only 5 games the entire regular season. They led the league in scoring, pouring in more than 100 points per game and they easily claimed the inaugural P. LEAGUE+ championship. 

Last year, the Braves had a regular season with some of the usual ups, but also some new downs. They were still scoring the most in the league with more than 98 points per game, but lost 12 games in the regular season and finished as the third seed going into the playoffs. They also averaged the most assists as a team with nearly 22 per game and shot the best from beyond the arch at 32%. In the postseason, their experience and shooting helped them claim their back-to-back P. LEAGUE+ title. 

In the upcoming P. LEAGUE+ 2022-2023 season, they now have a chance to three-peat, one of the most coveted accolades for a sports team. Last season, they went through struggles and management recognized that they need to evolve and get younger if they’re to continue to have the edge over upcoming teams like the New Taipei Kings and last year’s runners-up, the Hsinchu JKO Lioneers. 

Maintaining key leaders: The Braves maintained their core of veteran leaders with a few exceptions. They re-signed former MVP Jet Chang as well as the beast himself, Lin Chih-chieh. They also retain team captain, Tsai Wen-cheng.

Getting Younger: The Braves made huge moves in the off-season starting with a blockbuster trade. They dealt Joe Lin for Hung Kai-chieh and Steven Guinchard. Hung Kai-chieh was a top rookie that was developing into a top combo guard. Guinchard will add another top shooting option for the team. The Braves also took Chen Fan Po-yan with the second overall draft pick that they acquired in a trade the year prior. Chen will likely emerge as the steal of the draft and the top big man in his class. 

Foreign imports: The Braves also recognize the need to keep “playoff Mike” on the roster and re-signed reigning Finals MVP, Mike Singletary. They also brought in new big man, Chris Johnson, who has made a splash in the off-season. 

One of One: For the 2022-23 season, the Braves are dubbing “One of One” as the team’s motto. The rationale behind such slogan is that only the Braves have an opportunity to fight for a three-peat of the title since the league inauguration, only the Braves have an opportunity to build a dynasty and only they have the opportunity to represent Chinese Taipei and suit up for international competition like East Asia Super League (EASL).

The Braves are now vying for a three-peat and have all the pieces in place to do so. They’ll face their toughest challenge yet as the league has seen success and top teams are closing the gap with the Braves. 

The P. LEAGUE+ also continues to develop recently launching their new #OhMyPLG season 3 branding. Last year, the league saw more than 35 million cumulative viewers across their broadcast and live-streaming alone. The Braves head into the season as the favorites with the opener tipping off this Saturday, November 5, 2022.