The PBA is Starting its Own Esports Tournament

The PBA announced that they will be partnering with Dark League Studios to launch a new tournament: The PBA Esports Bakbakan.

Esports may have been an up-and-coming sport a few years ago.

But fast forward to today, it now has many major international tournaments, countless talented athletes, big prize pots, and of course, millions of fans around the world.

And in case you didn’t know, the Philippines is one of the most competitive countries in the esports landscape. In fact, in the recent M4 World Championship, two Filipino teams battled it out in the finals.

Now, even the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) wants in. The league is partnering with Dark League Studios to start their own esports tournament: The PBA Esports Bakbakan.

A new playing field

The PBA announced that they will be partnering with Dark League Studios to host the PBA Esports Bakbakan.

“With the growing influence in modern technology, I think it’s a win-win situation for both parties, with the PBA and the Dark League Studios,” PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial shared. 

The new tournament will become the country’s first-ever professional esports league. With this, they aim to bridge the gap between traditional and virtual sports.

The league is already in motion, with their first Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament to start in March.

According to the organizations, the PBA Esports Bakbakan will feature 12 teams, who will compete in a single round-robin format every Monday. After the initial stages, only the top four teams will then advance to the playoffs.

In addition, each team will include a myriad of personalities, including PBA stars, influencers, fans, and representatives from different schools.

Some of the personalities fans will be able to expect to see in the tourney include PBA players Aljun Melecio, Jaydee Tungcab, and Allen Mina. Meanwhile, influencers like Setsuna “Akosidogie” Ignacio and Eric “Eruption” Tai will also be competing.

“This is the start of something great, something new for the youth out there,” Tai shared in the press conference.

With this new league of esports now available to many fans here in the country, the PBA Esports Bakbakan is definitely a historic move for Philippine sports and Filipino athletes.

Banner image from MLBB Esports on Instagram.

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