Pro league brings act to Dubai

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is heading to the Gulf.

In yet another historic first, the 32-year-old league is holding an official game in Dubai pitting two of the PBA’s hottest properties, Barangay Ginebra and Purefoods.

The match is set on April 13 and will be played at the Al-Ahli Sports Club.

The Dubai encounter is the featured out-of-the country game for the import-flavored Fiesta Cup that begins on March 4, and with Red Bull as the defending champion.

Previous out-of-the country sorties that has already become a regular fixture in the league every conference, saw the PBA holding games in Jakarta, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Guam.

"The PBA is very honored and at the same time, excited to play one of its regular games in the Fiesta Cup in the beautiful country of Dubai. Rest assured that we’re going to give our thousands of kababayans there the quality brand of basketball the league has been known for throughout the years," said commissioner Noli Eala.

The lone game in Dubai is made possible by the organizing Filipino basketball center led by chairman Ramon Pizzaras and assisted by former PBA player Ric Roces.

This marks the first time Ginebra, the newly crowned Philippine Cup champion, is seeing action in an out-of-the- country game while Purefoods will be playing its second after its Hong Kong stint against Talk n Text in the 2005-06 edition of the Philippine Cup.

Red Bull and Alaska saw action in the Guam sojourn kicking off the league’s 2006-07 season last year.

Talk ‘N Text and Formula Shell held the distinction of playing the PBA’s first ever official game outside the country when they clashed in Indonesia during the 2005 Fiesta Cup. – Nelson Beltran