NBL, WNBL to stage 1v1 tourney
The WNBL and the NBL in coordination with the Isolation Basketball Championship (IBC) will open a 1v1 league this year whose aim is to showcase the individual skills of the players from both leagues.
The NBL-IBC 1v1 league is looking at launching the league on May 22 at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga with a one-day tournament where it will serve as an introduction to the groundbreaking concept before the league takes off.
The launch event is currently waiting for the approval of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the regulatory body of professional sports in the Philippines.
“We in the NBL will always find opportunities in adversities that is why we have innovated 1v1 basketball which will only involve a few people on court with no audiences,” said NBL Pilipinas executive vice president Rhose Montreal in their letter to GAB.
Jerry Codiñera and Haydee Ong will serve as the commissioner in the men’s and women’s league respectively.
Under the innovative format, players in the women’s and men’s division will be grouped into weight divisions – featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, light-heavy, and heavyweight – and they will battle in a knockout system tournament.
Each game is comprised of three, five-minute rounds with the first player to score 30 points declared as the winner advancing to the next round until a champion is determined.
As part of the rules of the 1v1 competition, a player who begins the match with 10 straight points will automatically win via TKO.
The 1v1 tournament is open to all players, regardless of whether he or she is playing in the NBL and WNBL or not, with the winners in each weight categories at the end of the league will be taking home a championship belt instead of a trophy or medal.
As part of the safety protocols of the league including its launch event this month, participants must adhere to symptoms monitoring 14 days prior to the event. Antigen swab testing will also be conducted to all players and league staff where it must yield a negative result before entering the venue.
