CONSIDER it a deposit.
PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro assured all 12 teams in the PBA D-League that participation fees paid for the Aspirants' Cup won't lapse and they will be able to see action when the league restarts.
"May initial talks na and we discussed it with the board already. All the teams will just have to continue yung participation nila once we restart our D-League. Para siyang naka-deposit muna for the meantime," said Castro in Tuesday's online Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.
Unlike in the PBA where the 12 clubs are set and bound unless there's a sale of the franchise, the number of teams in D-League events varies because payment is for participation on a conference-by-conference or a season-by-season basis.
School-based squads use the PBA D-League as early preparation for their mother leagues.
Eleven of the 12 teams in the 2020 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup are collegiate teams, with only eight games in three playdates being held before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to temporarily suspend operations.
Castro said that the PBA wil be able to plot its next move for the developmental league when collegiate leagues, specifically the UAAP and the NCAA, come up with their restart plans.
"Right now, as we all know most of the teams are collegiate teams. Actually, we are waiting for the two major leagues for their announcement of their return," he said.
"From there, we'll see in our calendar kung kailan namin pwede i-restart ang D-League."
Before the halt, Builders Warehouse-UST, EcoOil-La Salle, and ballclub Marinerong Pilipino were leading the standings with their identical 2-0 slates.
However, another issue which may arise will be the status of other participants in the ongoing conference, specifically Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP), with the Potit de Vera-mentored squad seeing its roster decimated after the school opted to cease operations of its athletic department.
Spin fans unite at Spin Viber Community! Join the growing community now! Complete the experience by subscribing in the Spin Chatbot and download the Spin Game Sticker Pack.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
