The Macau Black Bears have been formally accepted by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as guest team for the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup set to start on March 11, 2026.
Officials of the Black Bears, who have competed previously in the Asean Basketball League and, at present, in the East Asia Super League, signed a memorandum of agreement with their PBA counterparts.
The formal contract signing was held in Macau on Friday with PBA board vice chairman Alfrancis Chua and league commissioner Willie Marcial meeting the Black Bears big bosses.
Macau will be the third foreign squad to compete in Asia’s first play-for-pay basketball league since the Bay Area Dragons in Season 47 and the Hong Kong Eastern in Season 48.
The Dragons in fact, finished a strong second place behind eventual Commissioner’s Cup champion Barangay Ginebra that lasted the distance in their best-of-seven title series.
The Black Bears played against Gilas Pilipinas during the national squad’s sendoff in July 2025 as part of the Tim Cone-led team’s preparations for the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saidi Arabia.