THE Asean Basketball League (ABL) pulled the plug on its 10th season, although the board expressed its intentions to stage a next season for the regional league.
ABL released a statement on Wednesday effectively terminating the 2019-2020 which was suspended at the onset of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) board have met and announces today that the ABL Season 2019-2020 will be deemed concluded as there is no safe way to complete the remaining fixtures," it read.
The board admitted the league found itself in a tough position due to the nature of the health crisis, and thus, made the difficult decision to scrap the season altogether.
"This decision is not an easy one and has not been made lightly. The overriding factor of our social responsibility, health and the well-being of all our stakeholders was at the forefront of the discussion," the league said.
"At all times, the ABL board have been conscious of our charter, to provide a high level regional basketball competition platform for teams to compete and athletes to showcase their skills while entertaining fans in a safe and enjoyable manner."
The decade-old regional league initially tried to stage games behind closed doors, but ultimately decided to suspend all of its games on March 13.
The ABL said its home-and-away format makes a return almost impossible amid all the restrictions on travel.
"As the COVID-19 turned into a pandemic, the nature of the league's operation and fixtures have been severely impacted by the closure of borders and activities in order to contain the virus," the league said.
"With that in mind, the league recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present significant challenges to our operation and safety of everyone, thus rendering completion of the league improbable.
"The league would be categorized as incomplete due to the nature of the league's format with a playoff system, it would be impossible to determine a rightful champion."
Thai side Mono Vampire was leading the standings with a 12-4 card when the games were halted, while Philippine club San Miguel Alab Pilipinas sat at second place with its 10-6 record.
Alab, which was set to welcome new imports Justin Brownlee and John Fields, were hoping to reclaim the ABL title it won in the 2017-18 season.
Also part of this season's cast were the Kuala Lumpur Dragons, Formosa Dreamers, Fubon Braves, Macau Black Bears, Singapore Slingers, Macau Wolf Warriors, Hong Kong Eastern, and Saigon Heat.
The ABL, however, stood defiant amid talk that it is about to close shop, saying it plans to mount another season once the situation presents an opportunity.
That despite the league's operations coming to a halt and much of its staff not renewed after their contracts expired last May 30.
"We will now turn our efforts into planning for the next ASEAN Basketball League season in 2021 and hope to make announcements on the 11th ABL Season after completing consultations among the teams," the statement read.
"We are determined to find a way forward and return to the courts bigger and better alongside all our teams, commercial partners and fans."
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