The ninth season of the ASEAN Basketball League kicks off on Friday as the Wolf Warriors makes their debut against Hong Kong Eastern at the Doumen Gymnasium in Zhuhai.
With the addition of the Wolf Warriors, the ABL now has 10 teams for the season, the most that the league has ever had in its nine years of existence.
The expansion team out of Zhuhai, China will boast the services of former NBA player Eddy Curry and Indonesian basketball legend Mario Wuysang.
Mario Wuysang initially retired back in August after a remarkable 15-year career. A legend in Indonesia basketball, Wuyang was a mainstay in the national team. He played for the CLS Knights last season, posting averages of 12.0 points, 3.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and shooting 34.9% from the 3-point line. His stellar ABL resume includes five seasons, three finals appearances, one championship, one local MVP, and the fastest local player to reach a 1,000 career points.
Eddy Curry meanwhile is a 12-year NBA veteran who played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Dallas Mavericks. He was known for his physical play and as a work horse in the shaded area. He was also part of the 2012 Miami Heat championship team.
Both Wuysang and Curry will look to give the home team the victory.
Hoping to spoil the ABL debut of the Wolf Warriors are Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team.
Champions two seasons ago, Hong Kong will hope to reclaim the ABL title. Former World Import MVP Marcus Elliott is suiting up for his third season after two stellar performances in the past two years. In 2017-2018, the 6’3″ guard put up 22.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.4 steals which ended up in a semifinals finish for Eastern.
Elliott will be paired with another hulking reinforcement in Samuel Deguara. Standing at 7’5″, he was a forced to be reckoned with for the Mono Vampire Basketball Club last season. With gaudy numbers of 22.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game, he was one of the catalysts as to why Mono made it all the way to finals.
Tipoff between the Wolf Warriors and Hong Kong Eastern is at 8:00PM.
